Tag: adapt

‘Just keep swimming’

Posted on by philipdodson

A phrase that was made famous from the Pixar film ‘Finding Nemo’ where Dory, a blue tang fish, with a bit of a memory problem, says ‘just keep swimming’ to keep everyone going towards the search for the missing Nemo. Especially, she uses it when they reach the usual challenges in their search that such film genres have as part of the plot of making the film engaging. Often at the point when others perhaps are disheartened and feel like giving up

OK, so life is a little different to an animated Pixar film based on humanised fish, but the phrase ‘just keep swimming’ is one that fits as a reminder that often in life we have to just keep going. Sure, with things that are outside of our control, like everything except what we do, then letting go and leaving it is the right answer.

But with ourselves, we have to have a bit of perseverance and determination, especially during the hard times, when we are challenged and pushed to the limit of our self-belief and resilience. This is not some macho strength thing, this about keeping our faith, adapting and keep trying.

If you persist, you get there. As I said yesterday, the last freedom we have that can never be taken away is our freedom of choice of how to react.

Just keep swimming, believe and great things come.

Force yourself to keep being adaptable

Posted on by philipdodson

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The human species is a master at being adaptable to a changing
environment very rapidly.

When you go away on holiday, your new Air BnB or surfers house or 5
star hotel room immediately becomes ‘home’.

We soon settle in to any environment, even if initially it takes us
out of our comfort zone. Interestingly when faced with no choice but
to adapt, we adapt immediately and accept it, finding out that it was
10 x easier than expected or feared.

That’s how we essentially start, try and do something new.
Yet with our business, job and day to day life, this settling in slows
down as we get comfortable where we are. It becomes pure and simply
repetitive behaviour and we become unwilling to challenge ourselves to
adapt to something new.

While some repetition, especially of successful habits, is essential,
however too much, then leads to inertia. It leads to acceptance and
compliance. We become sterile and our lives become a chore. We become
comfortable.

The solution is to keep challenging ourselves to do more, to create
more, to share our very best and then we keep adapting, we stave off
boredom, compliance and keep life as it was intended to be – fun and
meaningful.

Be brave enough to simply do and then you have no choice but to adapt
to the new environment. Start something and force yourself to adapt –
don’t allow any choice.

Keep moving from one comfort zone to the next and hop your way to a
better, more rewarding and happy life.

After all, we all have an eternity to rest and not adapt.