Time for you to adjust your sails

What you need to know:

While change is inevitable, it is important for us to be aware of how much change can be accommodated.
Don’t push your baggage: All of us come with our own quota of baggage.
Give it a fair chance: Every change may not bring in the best results for you; every change at the same time may not take away everything that you have or you can achieve.

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts the sail.”

A frog once found itself in a vessel of water. Shortly it noticed that the water was heating up. As the water temperature rose, the frog adjusted its body temperature accordingly.

When the water got too hot the frog decided to jump out but was unable to do so because it had lost all its strength in adjusting with the rising water temperature. It died.

What killed the frog?

Most would say the boiling water. But it was its own inability to decide when to jump out. We all need to adjust to people and situations, but we need to be sure when to adjust and when to confront issues. We knowingly or unknowingly resist unfamiliar situations because inherently we resist change, we perceive change as a compromise in life. And why not? Change comes with adjustments and compromises. So we find it easier to fight change rather than adapt to it. All this while we know for sure that change is the only thing that is constant.

Thing is, change happens everywhere and to everyone. The difference lies in your response. So when you can’t change the direction of the wind, adjust your sail.

While change is inevitable, it is important for us to be aware of how much change can be accommodated. After all we don’t want to end up being like the frog in the boiling water. If we allow people to exploit us physically, mentally, emotionally or financially, they will continue to do so. We have to decide when to jump and make sure we jump while we still have the strength.

Be the change you want to see

Don’t push your baggage: All of us come with our own quota of baggage. As Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives but the most adaptable” so it is fine to leave your baggage behind, unlearn the way you have lived all your life and embrace change.
Watch out for the signals: Every time you find yourself in a new situation or circumstances, look past the noise and watch out for the signal. Don’t get caught up in the noise, keep yourself focused by getting the right signals.
Give it a fair chance: Every change may not bring in the best results for you; every change at the same time may not take away everything that you have or you can achieve, so give it a fair chance before you call it quits.
Don’t wait for others to mend their ways: Let down the walls that you have built around yourself before you expect others to mend their ways. Change can begin with you. And action changes things.
Keep the communication on: No matter what the situation is, don’t feel you are alone in it. Keep the communication on with the people who matter the most to you or matter the most in the said circumstance.