“Change is the essence of life; be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become” – Reinhold Neibur
It is true that there is nothing permanent except change, change is the only thing which will always remain unchanged. It has been observed that changes make people irritated and stressful. It is important to find ways to deal, creatively and smartly, with this fact of modern life. You may feel worried, depressed, sad, angry, stressed out or sometimes excited, motivated, energized and optimistic. Feeling could be both negative and positive. But there is no doubt that you feel something.
Every change has its own unique complexity. We need to learn, how to handle it well while facing these challenges. Because no one can stop change, we should learn to handle changes. The question arises that why we don’t like changes? It’s because being flexible at the time of changes can be very difficult, because we feel committed to our plans. So, sometimes we act too rigid. The point is that we need to be very flexible and responsive to the changes that are happening in our day-to-day life. As it is said,
“If you don’t bend with the wind, you will break”
Ways to remain flexible:
- ACCEPT THE CHANGE – Normally when we are required to be flexible it’s because something that has changed and we didn’t plan for it. Accepting the change, whether it is good or bad, is the first step towards remaining flexible. Don’t be afraid of changes. Change happens for some reason. So accept change and work on it. Maintain the positive perspective, no matter what the situation is. There is always something good that can come out of every change – be willing to face it.
- BEING POSITIVE – This is the most important way to remain flexible, by being positive. How to react to a situation will determine its outcome, so dealing with positive attitude contributes a lot of success in life and work. Also, surrounded yourself with positive people. It’s very important to absorb positive vibes from positive people to be flexible.
- LET GO – You cannot control every situation in life. Letting go of what can not be controlled will make managing change much easier. So let things go and try to be flexible.
- BE QUIET – Take time away from work or family life to just be quiet. Solutions and creative ideas for managing change often come in quiet moments. Be quiet and think peacefully.
- SLEEP, EAT AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF – The best way to deal with stress is to make sure you are taking good care of yourself. Remember winning is not a solution. You need to take care of yourself, give yourself time to develop and feel flexible in your life.
- BE REALISTIC – When you are dealing with changes you may have to lower your expectations of yourself for a period of time. Be aware of what is happening and stop assuming and expecting unnecessary outcomes.
- NEED SUPPORT – We are going to have changes in life or at work – we need support. The more we give support, the more we will remain flexible.
- THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX – Try to think of something different. Always keep yourself creative and make yourself a great thinker. Because thinking will keep your mind active and this will help in managing changes and remaining flexible.
Keep this in mind that though stressful times happen, they do not last forever. Realize that the change you are going through is just a season and it will leave. To survive and thrive, we will need to be flexible. The best way to fight off rigidity is by continually stretching yourself by taking on new challenges. Finally, if the change does not bring the result that you are looking for, then you should make changes until it works.
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time” – Thomas A. Edison
This article is mainly to understand that being flexible in life is as important as managing change.