Amazingly flexible

“Thus, flexibility, as displayed by water, is a sign of life.  Rigidity, its opposite, is an indicator of death.” ~Anthony Lawlor

“Be clear about your goal but be flexible about the process of achieving it.” ~Brian Tracy

“Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless – like water.  Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle; you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot…Be water, my friend.” ~Bruce Lee

I will be beginning a series of posts about common characteristics shared by successful individuals. They will be covered in no particular order, as they are of equal importance.  I hope that these messages inspire you to strive to embrace and embody these characteristics, so that they may enrich your life and the lives of the people around you.

Today’s installment revolves around the characteristic of flexibility.  Successful people have the ability to accept change and figure out ways to succeed, no matter the circumstances they find themselves in.  Many experts agree that flexibility is a key characteristic found in successful individuals, because, in essence, our lives are constantly fluid and dynamic.  History has shown that individuals and businesses who are rigid and inflexible, assuming that what has always worked will always work in the future, often struggle to survive during hard times or major change.

When I think of flexibility, I think of Kodak.  For years, Kodak made its money making film for cameras.  With the advent of digital cameras, Kodak wisely dug deep and went with the flow, thinking of ways it could survive such changes.  An inflexible organization would have operated in denial, thinking that digital cameras could never match the quality of film cameras.  Fortunately for Kodak, they focused their efforts on developing superior digital cameras, while continuing to produce photo paper, and they are now successful in the era of digital photography.

Ask yourself how flexible you feel you are.  Rate yourself on a scale of one to seven.  Are you relatively inflexible, and resist change at all costs (a rating of one), or do you find that you are extremely flexible (a rating of seven)?  If you find that you are anything less than a four, you probably would benefit from making a conscious effort to choose to be more flexible.  Start small, and you may be surprised by the results!

“Be infinitely flexible and constantly amazed.” ~Jason Kravitz

Have a great day!

-Victor