Developing Your Mind: How To Adapt To Change
"You can't solve your problems with the same
mentality you used to create them!"
Albert Einstein
Although the predominant theory explaining the disappearance of dinosaurs is the impact of a meteorite colliding with the Earth, the fact remains that many species survived and didn’t disappear, which is what has led us to where we are today. According to Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, we are the result of the transformation of several different species, notably a line of monkeys.
But why did the dinosaurs disappear and not other species? Was it because they didn’t know how to adapt to change?
After the initial explosion of this famous meteorite which scientists claim happened in Siberia, it took awhile for the dinosaurs to become extinct. The clouds of dust that resulted from the impact took years to spread through the atmosphere, eventually leading to the suffocation of the great beasts.
The real reason for the dinosaurs’ disappearance wasn’t the explosion itself, but what happened over the next few hundred years, when the deadly dust spread. If it had been the explosion, all animal species would have disappeared at the same time.
What the dinosaurs couldn’t do is adapt to the climactic changes that ensued, while other species, even the smallest of mammals, could and did survive. The changes happened over hundreds and even thousands of years, and were punctuated by continued mutations of the various species that were able to adapt.
What lesson can we learn from the disappearance of the dinosaurs?
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) said it himself: “It isn’t always the strongest or the most intelligent species that survives, but the one that adapts best to change." The British naturalist and father of evolution was the first to claim that we are descended from a long line of animals, all of whom had an incredible ability to adapt. He also set forth a theory to explain the reasons for the disappearance and survival of different species inhabiting the Earth, both past and present, and created a universal law governing the survival and well-being of all species, including human beings, calling it ‘survival of the fittest.’
The world is perpetually changing, so why shouldn't you?
Whether you want it to happen or not, the world is involved in a process of permanent change. Civilizations rise and fall, political regimes come and go, lifestyles are altered, people prosper, new ideas replace time-worn principles. From these examples we could conclude that the greatest principle in life is “permanent change.”
If you take a look at your own life, from the time you were born to the present, you’ll see that you too have been constantly changing. And you’re going to keep on changing until you die! Your body will change as your hormones alter, your lifestyle will transform… and there’s nothing you can do to stop it except adapt!
Resistance Is Futile!
You can’t fight the process of perpetual change. If you try, you’ll only aggravate your problems and end up suffering more than necessary.
It’s good to have values in life, but you also need to be free enough to change your values if the need arises. Since nothing is fixed, the way we perceived the world yesterday may not be valid today, and what we see today may not be useful tomorrow.
Having moral values doesn’t mean you should hide behind preconceived ideas and stick to your guns at all costs. Real moral values allow you to adapt to the world around you, a world that’s in permanent transformation.
Remaining fixated on one idea is like trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. One or the other will have to adapt.
Try to stay ahead of the game by keeping yourself informed about new ideas, both in your profession and in your private life. Having some notion of what lies ahead is the only way to adapt and not get left behind.
Adapting has nothing to do with being stylish!
This is an important point: by adapting I don’t mean getting hooked on fads that come and go. Being ‘with it’ is a superficial attitude that often denotes general instability and a complete lack of values. There are people who simply follow their tastes and change from one style to another almost daily, without really thinking about it. But adapting to change demands serious reflection, and an in-depth analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each option. You have to learn to determine which of your old ideas are still valid in the new situations life presents to you. And that can only be accomplished if you take time to analyze your options from different angles.
Adapting, unlike being stylish, requires lasting and fundamental choices that will ultimately result in your success or failure. That doesn’t mean changing the way you dress or getting a new haircut, but making clear decisions and following specific paths in all areas of your life, notably Love, health, work, Luck and money.
Qualities You Need To Adapt
If you want to be able to adapt to a world that’s changing more and more rapidly, you have to cultivate certain qualities that allow you to permanently transform your life. Without them nothing is possible, and you’ll continue having problems. The gap between your perceptions and the world around you will grow. If you don’t learn to adapt you’ll become rigid in body, mind and spirit, and end up leading an untenable existence.
The first thing you have to do is be open-minded and start asking yourself some serious questions. Intellectual curiosity and the constant search for new information will lead you to new truths.
You should also cultivate humility, which most intelligent people do, and not be overbearingly proud or think the world of yourself. No one knows what Absolute Truth is, and anyone who claims they do is wrong. Neither you nor anyone else is the keeper of Truth. You may possess some temporary knowledge that works for awhile, but it will soon become obsolete.
Knowing Whether You Can Adapt Or Not
Knowing if you’re going to disappear like the dinosaurs, or survive and progress to a better life, is easy. Just examine your basic values as often as possible, and determine which ones work, and which don’t. If a principle helps you live better and resolve your present difficulties, keep it. If it doesn’t, change it. Always be on the lookout for new ideas that could help you deal with your problems.
When a principle helps you overcome an obstacle, keep using it until events around you change and it doesn’t work anymore. Then look for something more effective. Not only will you solve your problems more quickly, you’ll also be sure to stay on track on your path to success.
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