How to adapt to any environment

From the newsletter of Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Hey,

Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.”

Evolution is about adaptation. Change is inevitable, especially as a system becomes increasingly complex—like our global world.

Those who know how to adapt to change are the ones who thrive in any condition.

Adaptation is all about mindfulness to context, learning, and psychological flexibility.

You can't adapt well if you're too caught-up in how you think things are, or must be.

You can't adapt well if you're overly convinced of who you think YOU are. Being rigid about your identity is a sure sign of unresolved emotional trauma. The words of Dr. Stephen Covey are instructive: "We see the world not as it is, but as we are."

As you evolve, your perspective will change. This includes your view of yourself. Your former self saw the world differently than you see it now. Your future self will see life differently than you see it now.

Hopefully, your future self will see things better.

Researchers have found that it is useful for decision-making, and essential to deliberate practice, to distinguish your current and future selves as two different people.

You aren't the same person as your future self. They will have a different context and different perspective. Hopefully, they'll be more mature. Hopefully, they'll have clearer and better priorities, and more confidence to powerfully live out those priorities.

Therefore, you need to be flexible in your own identity, while holding fast to your vision and values.

In psychology, there is an effective form of therapy known as "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy." It's based on the idea of psychological flexibility, which means you hold loosely the emotions and thoughts you experience as you committedly move toward your goals.

Right now, the context of our lives has changed quite a bit. COVID-19 is an evidence that CONTEXT matters more than CONTENT.

However, it is your responsibility to control your own context. Even though the world is changing, you still have huge control over your own personal context. You have control over what you focus on, and what you remain strategically ignorant of.

You need to be flexible, particularly to the emotions you'll experience and distractions you'll face. This is a new environment filled with new challenges. But you can remain focused and committed. You must be adaptive to what's going on. It seems most of the world is loosing their cool.

This article explains the power of context, and how you can successfully shape your own context, and adapt successfully.

How To Make Quantum Leaps Personally And Professionally

Stay safe this week!

Dr. Benjamin Hardy