Sai Weng Shi Ma - The Story of Resilience & Adaptability

RESILIENCE - the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.

ADAPTABILITY - the ability to change (or be changed) to fit altered circumstances.

If there is anything we have all learned in the past couple of years is that change is constant, that the pace of change is increasingly fast, and that the impact of change is more global and expansive than we could ever anticipate.

What does it mean for us?

As with any evolution process, in order to survive and thrive we need to build up our adaptability skills. The tricky part, though, is always the how.

As I have been reflecting on this topic, I have come up with a few ideas of my own. I am suggesting we can enhance our adaptability and resilience to change by investing in the following:

• Staying curious and informed about the world around us (Ask: What's happening and what impact will it have on our environment/s?);
• Maintaining a life learner mindset and growth mindset (Ask: What skills are / will be in demand in light of the changes I'm observing, OR What are the opportunities for me to learn / upskill / reskill to thrive in this environment?);
• Focusing on value-driven priorities, i.e. refining our ability to identify and prioritize valuable activities at any given time (Ask: What is REALLY important to me / my organization right now and am I contributing to it?);
• Refining our agility and flexibility skills, i.e. enhancing our ability to pivot at any moment, for any reason (Ask: What do I need to change in my environment to adapt to the new direction?);
• Involving and collaborating with others to find support and innovative ways to adapt to the changing circumstances (Ask: What ideas can we experiment with to derive positive outcomes from this change?)

As per the famous East-Asian parable, we never really know if change is good or bad. Life is what it is, and it is our reaction to the events in our life that will dictate our ability to live it to its fullest. Rather than passively "going with the flow", I would like to offer you another approach - a more pro-active "adapting to thrive" one. The best part? You can practice it everywhere, all the time! Who knows, you might discover you like the new reality better than the old one :)

Comment below on how you adapt to change, and what other tips and tricks you would like to offer others.

Cheers,

Katy