Learning to Adapt

As we all know, life does not always go exactly as planned. Things may seem to be going along great when suddenly life throws a curveball, and it is necessary to make an adjustment or two. This can feel like your world has turned upside down and it can be unsettling and cause feelings of resistance and fear.

The thing to remember is, we have been adapting all our lives. From the moment we are born until today we have been continually adjusting to life’s ups and downs. It’s only when we are unwilling to let go of what we think our life ‘should be’ and allow ourselves to explore other options to learn what we need to learn in order to grow as a person, that we cause ourselves unnecessary pain. If we try to remember that life is a series of changes and that our ability to adapt is a necessary skill, we can more easily go with the flow of life.

This is not to say that it will be easy to handle all of the changes that we will encounter throughout our lifetime, because undoubtedly, some changes are extremely difficult and unwelcome. However, if we consciously choose to let go of the resistance to those changes and look for the lesson and how it may be just what was needed to push us to where we need to be on our path, then it can serve us in the long run and will lessen the time we spend in pain or discomfort.

The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher.

Chinese Proverb