“It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those most responsive to change.” This is a quote from Charles Darwin, and I found it striking because we usually think of him in relation to “survival of the fittest” and this statement puts an interesting slant on what is the fittest. I also recall John Demartini saying that the amount of stress we experience is a direct correlation to our ability to adapt to change. The greater the flexibility, the less stress. The greater the rigidity, the more stress.
Being a Life Entrepreneur requires amazing agility. As Demartini also points out, we grow on the border of chaos and order. Balancing that precariousness is vital to being able to withstand and move with, actually appreciate and take advantage of, inevitable change.
So how do you “roll with it” when you feel up against unsurmountable difficulties? First, start with what you know. I strongly believe in starting each day with a statement at least, preferably a fully expressed vision, of who you are ideally, what you would love to experience and how you would love to show up in the world. That is about what you aspire to, not a reiteration of what you are currently experiencing. Think big, think bold, expand your sense of what is possible.
Who would you love to be? What would you love to do? What would you love to have? These are quality questions that help you map out your life in a new and different way.
Waking up each day affirming who you are and what your higher purpose is informs your day and sets the tone for what happens. Isn’t that a welcome change from wondering if you have the strength to get up and deal with all the demands others place on you? Or doing the same drudgery day after day? This actually puts you in the drivers seat in your mind, which translates to you directing your thoughts, thus how you manage your experiences each day.
Circling back to Darwin, this means you are centered within yourself, ready to respond to what comes at you rather than react, which puts you in the category of most responsive to change.
Isn’t that the person you would love to be?
As a sailor, balance is essential. If you fight to stay on your feet, you struggle and become exhausted, but if you keep your body flexible, knees soft shoulders loose, you begin to move with the waves instead of fighting against them.
When I find myself tightening up I try to remember the easy, flowing feeling of the water and it helps me get back to center.
Ginger B.
http://coppertopcollins.blogspot.com
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