The ability to adapt to changing situations made us, Homo sapiens, the dominant species in the planet today. Learning to cope with change is one of the means by which people advance in both their jobs and in daily life as well. Being flexible also means that one is open to ideas, adaptable, resourceful and creative. Flexibility and adaptability when honed to utmost advantage can be anyone’s means of attaining success in any field or enterprise.
Human flexibility and adaptability
Are human beings naturally adaptable? Yes, we are biologically adaptable such that our genes are programmed to respond to changing situations. We can acclimatize to changing climates and time zones. That fact that humans inhabit a variety of climates, from the hottest deserts to the coldest mountaintops, is a testament to human genetic flexibility. Our bodies have built-in mechanisms that maintain body homeostasis and respond appropriately to the presence of foreign objects that could make us ill. Our physiological flexibility may make take time to “arm” us with the right response but we get there, eventually.
But physiological adaptability did not make us the dominant species on the planet today. It is our cultural adaptability that has determined our success in daily life. Every living creature adapts. But only human beings have the ability to adapt the environment to its specifications.
The other side of cultural flexibility and adaptability
Some argue that it is our ability to mold our environment to our own needs and desires that put us on top of the world. Our ability to invent and create has given us the capability to use technology to our advantage. This is an amazing achievement indeed, but we are starting to see and experience the cost of our meddling. What we have to learn to do is to stop molding situations to our convenience without proper evaluation of the consequences. And in order to affect that radical change that involves all seven billion of us today, we have to start within ourselves. We need to be flexible and adaptable in our daily life without causing a negative impact on the people and the environs that we occupy.
The advantages of being naturally adaptable
The people who are built with the ability to ride the wave of change, so to speak, are those who enjoy and welcome any change in routine. These are the people who thrive in travel and find immense fulfillment in molding themselves to the different situations that they find themselves in. Being naturally adaptable is the ticket to success in life because this gift usually comes with creative vision and the inner drive and motivation to overcome every challenge.
At work, we must be flexible in what we encounter everyday so that we retain harmony in the workplace. Being adaptable is almost equivalent to being universally liked. Someone who is flexible is universally trusted mainly because this person has the ability to deal with a variety of personalities of varied temperaments. This person shows the ability to think clearly in any type of situation.
With the many technological innovations that we enjoy, our adaptability gene might start getting dormant. What we need to do is to keep challenging ourselves despite the fact that information and knowledge is just a click of a touch away.