It is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent.
It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
// Charles Darwin
Change is constant. As we move through life, it doesn’t go away. We push our edges in the pursuit of creating an impact and becoming better.
Thus, it is our resilience and ability to adapt that will signal our success in overcoming change.
A few strategies that we could adopt to be “adaptive” include:
- Embrace a growth mindset: do not accept the notion that everything is fixed; your traits, knowledge, status and abilities are malleable and always shifting.
- Look at failure as an opportunity to learn: if you change your relationship with failure, you are positioning yourself to succeed the next time.
- Be proactive, not reactive: Take action to create the outcome that you want, rather than waiting for something to happen to/ for you.
- Focus on that which is in your control (i.e. the process): There is no benefit to focusing on things outside of our control (i.e. the weather). Focus on the variables that you can influence (i.e. being prepared with an umbrella).
If we can recognise “change” as a force that we can benefit from, as an opportunity to grow and evolve, suddenly it doesn’t seem so scary.
Simon G. Cooper 