Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.
If you are like most of people, you try to get through your day with as few hassles and inconveniences as possible. But, because you have to work and interact with other people, challenging events will still occasionally occur. However, most of your hassles can be avoided if your remain flexible. Flexibility will also give you more choices in how you can respond to any set of circumstances. This means that your mood, your relationships and your work can all be affected positively by your capacity for flexibility. Here are a few more reasons why flexibility can make your life happier:
1. Go with the flow. Particularly in the work force, demonstrating flexibility is a wonderful thing. Being one less person who your manager has to worry about will make a lasting impact on your boss’s life. Demonstrating that you will go with the program regardless of its fluctuations also helps you feel calmer and more relaxed internally.
2. Increase credibility. Your reputation will be enhanced. When you show flexibility at the office you will become known by your co-workers as a person who everybody wants to work with. One of the greatest assets we have as humans is our ability to be adaptable. Few things will build a positive reputation better or faster than showing that you have the ability to change when a situation requires it.
3. Conserve your time and energy. While other people are up in arms over last minute schedule changes, you can spend your time evaluating how you will make your adjustments on your calendar to accommodate the alterations. You will spend little or none of your time complaining about the reasons for the change. Instead, you can go on about the business of making the schedule adjustments and getting on with your life.
4. Shift. You can shift gears with few or no hassles. When you are flexible, you can smoothly leave one task and move ahead to the next challenge. For example, let us say that you were doing some catch up filing but now your boss wants you to work on a report. No “biggie.” You simply leave your filing and get settled into writing the document. You can always come back to the filing later.
5. Mood Enhancement. Your mood is more even and level throughout the day. If you are not getting freaked out by all the interruptions, changes and unexpected challenges that your day brings with it, you will have a smoother, more positive mood. After all, being flexible means that you are not easily frustrated by every little change. You hold no grudges and spend very little time feeling frustrated or upset when changes occur, and they will occur.
6. Be more agreeable. You come across as a much more agreeable person when you are more flexible. A person who is flexible recognizes that when you are dealing with other people, there will frequently be times when things and situations change. Naturally, if you keep your wits about you, you can adjust to almost any change that comes along. The people you interact with will appreciate this immensely. They will begin to see you as a “stabilizer” for the team.
7. Always be prepared. With flexibility, you come to expect change. When you try to anticipate what might come your way, you are much more prepared for shifts in situations. Make a habit of asking yourself, “What changes might happen today?” You will find yourself much less frustrated with new situations when they do crop up.
8. Let go of your perfectionism. You have probably worked with at least one perfectionist who always wants everything done a specific way. They often flip out if there is the slightest change in the itinerary. When you are being flexible, you avoid getting hung up on trying to be perfect and are more willing to accept things as they come, and doing the best job you can with what you have at hand.
By more easily adjusting to new situations, you decrease the likelihood that you will have to get stuck in a hassle on any given day. Others will appreciate your adaptability too.
So start today and go after that hassle free, happy life you deserve by striving to be as flexible as possible.
Thoughts?
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58125480@N02/5366530695/sizes/m/in/photostream/
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