Are you more adaptable than you think?

Last week, we Brits found out what everyone south of Dover has known since glass was invented: when it gets hot, don’t open your windows, close them. Well, it was news to me, as I guess it was to most Brits given that it was on the news.

We learned to adapt quickly in the face of weather that’s hotter than Cairo and Islamabad. Closing a window hardly constitutes major change, but it got me thinking. What if most people are already better at adjusting to new situations (the definition of adaptability) than they currently think they are? And if that were true, what would that do to their overall attitude to change?

To check that out for yourself, try this quick test:

Make a mental list of changes (regardless of size) that you’ve accepted in your life without too much resistance and without feeling coerced. Random examples might be surviving Covid, becoming an empty-nester, being made redundant or finding yourself as a family carer. Anything where you’ve changed – your values and beliefs, what you do or how you do it. Compare yourself now to who you were then (you decide that timeline).

Now review that list. Was it easier to compile than you thought? Is it a longer list than you predicted? Is there some big stuff on there that you’d forgotten about?

Now try one more thing. Whether or not your list surprised you, think about what will happen in the next decade or so if you were to go through that same amount of change again. It’s hard to imagine of course and it involves some hypothetical extrapolation. But if, for example, you coped with the unprecedented lockdown, how might that make you better appreciate your ability to explore? If you can survive redundancy, how brave might that make you in choosing a less a secure but purposeful career path? When loss of a loved one makes you finally understand the idea that ‘life is short’ not just in your head but in your heart, what changes might that make to how you live the rest of yours?

Becoming more adaptable isn’t the easiest of behavioural changes to make because change itself evokes powerful primal negative feelings like fear and anxiety. And learning to manage those emotional godzillas is no five-minute job. But for the Brits reading this, the fact that your windows are shut on a hot day might be a sign that you’re more open to the idea of change than you think.

A final note: If you did pause to think about that list, I’d love to find out whether it changed your mind about you in any way.

Rich Alderton is an Adaptability Intelligence specialist, so if you’d like to explore how adaptable you are – and can become – call him on 07873 823 800, email us or complete our enquiry form.