F is for Flexibility

There is an old fable about an old, thick, strong oak tree that was finally blown down by a powerful storm. Amazingly, the thin little reeds all around it were unharmed by the storm's fury. The oak tree asked the reeds, "How is it that I, a strong, thick tree, was blown over by the wind, but you thin little reeds were able to withstand it?" The reeds answered, "Instead of trying to stand up against the strength of the wind, we simply bent with it and survived."

I'm not talking about physical flexibility here baby girl, though you've already shown us in your ultrasounds with your feet up over your head that you are certainly very flexible right now! I'm talking about mental flexibility. The ability to bend with the currents of life. To go with the flow. To not get bent out of shape when something comes along that you weren't really planning on.

The ability to be flexible is perhaps one of the most challenging traits to master. If you set your mind on a goal, are determined, do everything you can to make that thing happen . . . it is so, so easy to become frustrated and upset when unforeseen circumstances come along and throw you for a loop you didn't expect.

That's why it's important to remember these two adages:

"Expect the unexpected," and "Over prepare, and then go with the flow."

If you learn to expect unforeseen circumstances to arise, then you won't be so caught off guard when they do. Few things in life go exactly as you had planned. There are simply too many variables, too many things left out of your control. Pretty much all you can do is prepare as much as you possibly can, and then be flexible.

There is the danger, of course, of being too flexible. If you never stand up for yourself, if you never speak up for what you want, you will be walked all over your entire life. There is a time to stand firm, and a time to be flexible. The key is to learn which time is which. When you are unsure, evaluate your priorities. What are you really trying to achieve? What is really the most important outcome to you? And most importantly, is it possible? Sometimes, no matter how much you want something, the strength of the wind blowing at you will simply be too strong for you to fight against. Pick your battles, and know when being flexible is really the key to success. It may simply be a question of biding your time or finding an alternate path.

You see? You even have to learn how to be flexible about being flexible.

If you can master the art of flexibility, of knowing when to stand firm and when to go with the flow, you will face so much less drama, so much less frustration, than if you try to fight every battle.

Know your priorities; know them well enough to know which are worth the fight and which aren't. Know yourself, but don't let that self, that ego, get in the way of your own happiness.

PS--physical flexibility is important, too. It will prevent many a pulled muscle.