Roll With the Punches

Becoming Adaptable in the Face of Change

Let’s be honest with ourselves.

Change is fucking hard. Humans are creatures of comfort (& habit) & we tend to like things a certain way. Even those that seem to be adrenaline seekers or free spirits have some comfort attachments — literally human nature.

So while the idea of making big changes in your life may sound amazing, that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be incredibly fucking difficult at times.

Soften up.

Hear me out on this, ok?

In order to embrace change we have to let go of rigid thought and behavior. It seems a little counterintuitive right?? A majority of advice says to become more structured and more disciplined in your actions — not loosen up. I think this is actually a misunderstanding of what it takes to be disciplined and consistent.

Shits gonna happen.

Things are going to come out of left field and hit you sideways, especially when you’re in the middle of building new habits and routines. Seems like there’s always something that wants to throw you off balance.

So we have to learn to be ADAPTABLE.

One of the big lessons of discipline is being adaptable.

For example: You’re working on a new exercise routine. You’re getting up earlier to get to the gym, you set up a strict schedule, and you’re on a roll. Then life happens. Your car breaks down, you have to work overtime, there’s no available childcare — you name it.

If we are so set in our rigidity, when that thing happens and you miss that first day at the gym, you may think you’ve failed and have to “start all over.” It’s incredibly easy to let these thoughts discourage us and completely derail us. We think if we’re not following the exact routine, it’s wrong or it doesn’t count.

Instead, adaptability allows us to stay disciplined while giving ourselves grace for the inevitable. Rather than feeling like a failure because you had to miss that morning workout, look for other ways to for exercise into your day wherever it fits. If it doesn’t fit, you allow yourself to accept it and continue with your routine the next day.

The point is to stay flexible.

Flexibility and adaptability, just like discipline, are like muscles. In this whole process, you’ll need to become an athlete. Instead of physical training, you’re going to do a lot of mental training.

Train yourself to be both disciplined and adaptable.

Start with little things; eating breakfast in the morning, getting up half an hour earlier, taking short brain breaks throughout the day. Leave room for things to happen and knock you off balance, but be strong enough in your discipline that you’re going to get things done.

It’s all about practice. Practice practice practice. The more you work at it, the better you’ll get with everything you do. This is another reason identifying your “why” will be super important — keeping that reason at the forefront of your mind will help SO MUCH in keeping yourself on track.

It’s going to be uncomfortable and you’re going to want to give up from time to time…. maybe a lot… but don’t. Stick with the promises you’ve made to yourself. Stick with the hopes and dreams you have for your future.

I want to challenge you to come up with three alternative actions you can take in the event that your routine is thrown off!!

Whatever your goals are, take a second to think of as many ways you could “make up” for a lost task, keep your top 3 faves in a notes app or somewhere easily accessible, so when it happens you’re prepared!!

Drop a comment and let me know what some of your ideas are !!


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