Regardless of who’s in power, change is the only constant in our lives. As soon as you get used to something, it’ll be different. Whether you’re at work, home or anywhere in between, we live in a fast-changing world, and you need to be adaptive.
1. Acknowledge There Is No Right Way
I grew up in a military family. Everything was strictly regimented and scheduled. There were a variety of chores and tasks with one, and only one, way to accomplish them. When I grew up, I realized there is no one right way – my parents were simply training me to do things their way. The “right” way to do things changes as soon as someone figures out a better way, and if it’s not you, it’ll be someone else. Either try out new ways of doing things or follow those who do.
2. Join The Collective Consciousness
There’s value to thinking outside the box, but if you go too far out, you disconnect from the collective consciousness and look crazy to everyone else. The key to being different is understanding how to bridge the gap between you and everyone else. This is what separates a leader from a lone nut.
3. Avoid Predictive Hubris
You know who’s annoying? That know-it-all friend we all have who’s been there and done anything you could possibly come up with. Every idea you have, they know exactly why it’ll fail, despite never having tried it themselves. In order to adapt to change, you have to accept both how things are and how they could be. Instead of immediately shooting down every idea and infuriating everyone around you, suck up your pride and try out the new way. Nobody cares how you’ve always done things – change is inevitable, and you don’t want to be left behind.
4. Keep An Open Mind
It’s impossible to accept a change you refuse to recognize. Minorities exist. Homosexuals exist. Hundreds of religions exist. Women exist. Everyone ages and dies. All of these truths have existed since the dawn of man. None of us grew up in a world where everyone is the same. Accept people for their differences; otherwise, you’re an obstacle to change, and you’ll never get ahead in life.
5. Communicate With Your Circles
Sometimes the only way you even notice change is by talking to people, and that’s also how to adapt to it. When you talk to your friends and family about impending change, they’ll provide feedback and open your mind to new perceptions of the changes. They may guide you through how to adapt. At the very least, they’ll listen while you figure it out.
6. Blaze Your Own Trail
The easiest way to adapt to change is to be the catalyst affecting it. When I worked for the banks, the constant changes in my daily routines were caused by government regulations, lawsuits, etc., that changed our processes. When I left my career at the bank to dedicate my life to fighting them, I became the cause of all their regulations over the past three years. It doesn’t matter what ring of the ladder you’re on, you can shake the entire thing. Never allow anyone to tell you that you can’t do something the way you think it should be done. If you’re wrong, at least you’ll have learned something from the experience of trying.
7. Question Everything
Religion is a funny thing – you follow all sorts of traditions with no real understanding of why. In the Catholic church, we imbibed wine and bread to represent the blood and body of Christ. I never knew Jesus personally (an unfortunate side effect of my inability to time travel), but I know if I were a leader or martyr, the last thing I’d want is my followers eating my flesh, drinking my blood, and wearing crosses to celebrate my torturous death. When you’re told to do something, ask why. If something changes, ask what inspired the change. You were given a brain for a reason; use it. Change is difficult to deal with, but if you work at it, you can adapt to anything. Just keep your head up, smile and push through. Soon enough, you’ll be the change everyone else has to adapt to.
