A friend made a very humorous, yet insightful comment some weeks back and it explained to me how the world is evolving at an insane speed. He said "Sammy, this world has refused to stand still." What he meant was that the world is evolving in every aspect, from technology, to economy, to a lot of other fields. As a result of this, the world is experiencing career shift, revolution in science and tech, fluctuation in economy, etc. You will be surprised that what worked in the past may not work in the present. This is why I always say that only those who are able to adapt that will thrive, otherwise they will become obsolete. It is either you flow with the evolutionary trend or you will be left far behind.
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You have to understand that adaptation is not a sign of weakness, rather it is strength in motion. You should not mistake adaptability for instability or lack of focus. Adaptability is actually the ability to intentionally and intelligently adjust while still maintaining the core values. For example, you may have an idea of what you want to achieve or a dream. This is the core value, which should be maintained. But the process by which you will achieve it can change in response to the demands of the era. You see, you are actually adjusting, but you are not altering the core value. The strength of the tree does not necessarily lie in being rigid, but in the ability to bend without breaking when the wind blows. More often than not, flexibility prevents destruction.
History has actually validated that flexibility prevents destruction. There are some companies that once dominated their field at some points, but today they are nowhere to be found. This is simply because they did not evolve. Some years back, there was a time when Blackberry was the phone in vogue. In fact, they gained dominance in the market at that time that everyone wanted one. People did a lot of things to own a Blackberry phone because some saw it as a sign of class. However, in this era, it is surprising that the same same Blackberry has almost lost relevance. This is simply because they failed to evolve and adapt to the rapidly changing smartphone market.
To adapt, there are things you need to have handy. Firstly, you need to be able to recognise changes early. This needs you to be attentive to details, and it requires awareness. Be sensitive to determine trends, opportunities, and certain shifts around you. Just to let you know, whether you are aware of reality or not, it will still happen. So instead of thinking about how things used to be, you should rather focus on how things are turning out to be. This will help you to know how to get prepared for the changes happening. Like learning a new skill, improving on the ones you have, forming new habits, getting new knowledge, etc.
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In addition to being aware of changes, adaptation also requires a level of courage. Changes are not usually comfortable, because they can stretch you beyond the territory you are familiar with. When you leave your comfort zone, you may feel some uncertainties and may even be scared. But if you want to grow, then you have to leave your comfort zone. You need courage for that. Courage is required to take certain risks in life. And you need to take risks if you want to break through from where you are and achieve success. If you want greater success, impact, or influence in life, then you must be willing to evolve.
It is worthy to note that adaptation does not mean losing your identity. You should maintain your core values, your integrity, character, and discipline. These things should be maintained. What should change are your strategies, methods, and approaches. You may have a plan of what to achieve and an idea to pursue. While this is static, the methods and processes by which you will achieve it can change in relation to trend, eras, and the demands of the modern times. You have to know and understand that things change, so you have to also learn to evolve to fit in, so you will not go into obsoletion.
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