Monday, September 3, 2012

Flexibility – The Key to Weathering the Storms of Life and Having More Fun



Everyone has seen news coverage of hurricanes whipping massive trees back and forth. Those trees can withstand the tremendous power of the storm because they’re flexible. They can bend with the changing wind. Most of us, especially working parents, who often experience busy,  stressful days can learn a lot from those trees.

Not only does flexibility make a difference on whether we “snap” under pressure, but it also influences our quality of life. As you were growing up, do you remember parties where some children would jump in and play all the games, whereas others would stand stiffly by watching? Who had more fun? The ones willing to be flexible and try something new!

One of the first things you need to realize is that you can’t control everything. And secondly, you can’t please everyone. Too many of us worry unnecessarily about what others think. When in reality they’re not thinking about us at all. Of course, it’s good to care about what our family thinks since our decisions have a direct effect on their lives. But why make life decisions based on what your neighbor or hair stylist may think.

Tunnel vision keeps you from looking outside the box. In olden days, they’d put blinders on horses so they couldn’t see anywhere but straight ahead. It quieted their fears, because if they couldn’t see it, it didn’t exist. You and I know that what you don’t see coming can hurt a lot. So while being extremely focused is good for accomplishing a great deal, we all need to take a step back every so often and reassess if we’re going in the right direction. Taking a quick walk around the park may be all that is needed.

Learn to compromise and let go of perfection. There really is more than one way of doing things. Focus on the desired results and try something. If it works fine, if not try something else. And if someone has a valid suggestion, give it a try.

Forgive yourself for letting some things go in order to accomplish something more important. You may have the goal of being a multi millionaire by they time you’re thirty, but if your child is injured and needs a year out of your life in order to make a full recovery, which are you going to choose?

Rigid thinking may help you make quick decisions, but flexible thinking is key to mulling over a problem and finding the best solution based on all extenuating circumstances. If you’re having thoughts that aren’t serving you, challenge them and shift to something more positive.

Being flexible depends a great deal on thinking things through and then deciding what’s important to you. If you’ve decided you can delegate some less important things like household chores so you can concentrate on the more important things, contact us at Simplify. If you live in the Silicon Valley, our team of professionals can relieve you of what’s a burden and gift you with more time.

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