Chapter 18: Always Flexible
When I see a result that is really worth the effort,
I jump right in and try everything
until it happens. – Thomas Edison
In life, we may find that some people are more successful
and happier than others.
Some people earn more money,
live better lives,
feel more fulfilled,
have happier relationships,
and contribute more to the community.
Meanwhile, others are not.
What is the main reason for this?
The Menninger Institute,
Kansas City (USA) conducted a recent study
to identify the most important qualities to success
and happiness in the 21st century.
After extensive research,
they have concluded that the only,
most distinctive quality you can develop
for yourself in this day and age is flexibility.
Thereby, they also identified another factor that hinders
and has the opposite meaning to flexibility,
which is rigidity.
It is an unwillingness
to change in the face of new circumstances and situations.
The quality of flexibility thus
becomes an essential quality if you want to be,
do or have more of what you already have.
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SPEED OF CHANGE
Earn with your mind, not your time. – Naval Ravikant
Today, perhaps the most important factor affecting your life is the speed of change.
We live in an age where change is happening at a faster rate
than ever before in human history.
Today’s change is not only faster,
but it is also not seamless, not moving in a straight line,
but starting, stopping,
and moving in unpredictable directions.
Change is coming to us from all sides and in many different ways,
so it’s often impossible
to predict what might happen next.
This unpredictability forces us
to throw away even the most perfect plans
and ideas overnight
when new conditions and circumstances arise.
It is essential that we have flexibility in thinking
and in possible activities.
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KEY CAUSES OF STRESS
“Success is not the result of making money;
earning money is the result of success
and success is in direct proportion to our service.” Earl Nightingale
Change puts a lot of stress on people who are rigid
or inflexible right from the way they think about how things are going.
They like what they are doing,
with current methods and processes,
and are unwilling to change,
even knowing this.
You shouldn’t put yourself in such a situation.
The only question you should be asking about what you’re doing is:
Does this approach work?
Does it help to achieve the desired end results?
Given the current situation, is that the best course of action?
The only measure of the correctness
or failure of a decision/course of action is its effectiveness
against the goal you have set.
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THREE MOTIVATIONS FOR CHANGE
There are 3 driving forces for change in the current period,
each of which is multiplied by the interaction of each other, increasing the rate of change.
The first is the explosion of information and knowledge in all aspects of life around us.
Every new initiative or new piece of information in today’s competitive marketplace can change the dynamics of your business overnight.
A significant event, such as the 9/11 terrorist events in the United States, a market shock,
such as the shock after the Wall Street stock market investigations,
a scandal within a political party or an economic sector can change the thinking, action, commercial ability
and situation of an entire organization or industry overnight.
For example, in 1989 when the Soviet Union disintegrated,
the Iron Wall was pulled down, and the Cold War ended,
the defense industry across the Americas was severely shaken.
Hundreds of thousands of skilled and skilled people were laid off.
The industries were closed, the economy of some regions fell into a serious recession.
The effects of change are overwhelming and inevitable.
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NEW WAVE OF TECHNOLOGY
Buy when everyone else is selling
and hold until everyone else is buying.
That’s not just a catchy slogan.
It’s the very essence of successful investing. – Paul Getty
The second factor driving change is the rapid growth
and development of new technology.
Any new scientific and technical knowledge can lead to advancement in technology,
towards the goal of helping people do things faster, better, cheaper and easier.
And the speed of technology change is increasing rapidly.
This leads to the inevitable: Anything that works will quickly become obsolete.
If you are constantly looking for ways to replace your product or service with better ones,
you may end up being pushed out of your niche.
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COMPETE
The third factor driving change and requiring greater flexibility is competition.
Your competitors locally, nationally
and internationally are more dynamic and innovative today than in the past.
They are constantly looking for ways to attract customers,
gain market share, compete on scale and finance,
if given the opportunity they are ready to push you out of the game.
They implement business promotion,
you by using every advantage of information
and technology they can develop to erode your position in the market.
Today, there are more companies, products, services, and salespeople than customers.
The competition is becoming more and more difficult and intense.
If you want to survive and thrive in the market,
you have to be more focused and determined.
Above all, you must be flexible.
Previously, I hired an advertising agency
and paid them $10,000 to develop ads for me.
It was published in a national newspaper,
it was quite a subtle advertisement
and attracted a large number of viewers.
But our joy only lasted until the following week,
when a competitor copied the ad to entice customers to their side.
Our customer base dropped by 50% and continues to decline.
In this situation there is hardly much we can do.
The lesson is that you must continually develop backup plans for every area of your work,
knowing for sure that whatever you do will quickly lose effectiveness
and will have to be replaced by something else more effective.
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WARNING WITH FRIENDLY REGIONS
In the previous section,
I discussed the “familiar domain” which individuals
and organizations often fall into the same old things over and over again,
regardless of whether they still work or not.
Sometimes, the biggest threat to your long-term success is your short-term success.
Success in any field can quickly breed complacency
and reluctance to adapt to new realities in the marketplace.
Don’t let yourself get into this situation.
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ZERO MOLD THINKING REGULARLY
In previous sections,
I discussed the importance of zero-point thinking in examining all aspects of your daily life and activities.
Zero-point thinking is also an essential tool for staying agile.
Ask frequently: What am I doing that if I had to start over from the beginning,
I wouldn’t have to do it again?
Review every aspect of your life and work.
Every time you experience stress, reluctance,
or lack of success, ask the zero point thinking question.
And if there’s something that you feel is no longer working,
make a plan to stop doing it immediately to shift your resources
and mind into areas where you can get better results.
Don’t let your ego cloud your judgment or common sense.
Be more concerned with what is right than who is right.
You must be willing to accept that any decision you make may be wrong.
Be prepared to be flexible to new information, technology or competition.
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THREE MAGIC SAYS
There are three sentences that you need to learn to say over and over,
in order to stay flexible in this tumultuous life.
The first sentence is: “I was wrong”.
Most people prefer to avoid, brag, and deny responsibility rather than admitting mistakes.
This denial is made even worse when everyone around you knows about your mistakes.
You are the only one who is trying to fool everyone,
in which the first person is you.
When you realize that you have made a mistake,
the smartest thing you can do is admit your mistake right away,
so that you can find a solution to solve the problem,
and continue on the path to achieving your goal.
or a given outcome.
It is estimated that about 80% of the time and effort of people in key positions in large companies
or organizations is used to cover up the fact that they make mistakes and don’t want to admit mistakes.
Many companies, both large and small,
have come to the brink of bankruptcy simply by refusing or not admitting their mistakes.
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ACCEPT THAT YOU’RE NOT PERFECT
Money grows on the tree of persistence. – Japanese proverb
The second sentence that you must learn to say in order to remain flexible is: “I made a mistake.”
It’s a waste of time, effort, and money when people refuse to admit they’ve made mistakes, even when they’re obvious.
Once you say, “I was wrong” or “I made a mistake” the problem is almost over.
From that moment on, people can get back to solving problems and working towards achieving goals.
But once the key player is not willing to admit that he has chosen the wrong direction, everything is over.
We have seen this again
and again on the political scene of many countries
when the leading figures do not dare to admit their mistakes,
leading to the waste of time and effort of many people
and affecting the whole world.
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QUICK APPLY TO NEW CONDITIONS
The more you learn, the more you earn.- Warren Buffett
The third sentence you should learn to say is “I changed my mind”.
If you have new information that contradicts the information on
which you made your previous decisions,
openly admit that you will change your mind.
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FULL
Making mistakes, making wrong decisions or changing decisions is not a weakness, a defect in your qualities.
Indeed, in an age of rapid change in the fields of knowledge,
technology and competition,
daring to change is a sign of courage, individuality
and flexibility when ready.
Be willing to admit mistakes to reduce risk quickly
and apply “principles of practice” in everything you do.
Be prepared to deal with reality as it is in the present moment,
instead of wanting reality to be the same as it was in the past.
Let’s face reality, whatever it is.
Be honest with yourself and with everyone around you.
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BE FLEXIBLE IN RELATIONSHIP
It is equally important to be flexible with the important people
in your life, family, friends, colleagues,
and even customers.
Be open to different perspectives and ideas.
Be willing to admit mistakes if it’s true.
One of the characteristics of a good leader is the ability to listen.
They have the ability to ask a lot of questions
and take in all the information they can before deciding on something
or coming to a certain conclusion.
They also admit defeat and “cut losses” quickly
when they make mistakes, so they can move on to better and bigger things.
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THEORY OF CHANGING AXIS ROTATION
Spend your money on the things money can buy.
Spend your time on the things money can’t buy. -Haruki Murakami
There is another aspect of flexibility
that you should keep in mind throughout your life and work.
Buckminster Fuller, a scientist and philosopher,
called it “Theory of Spindle Redirection,”
words that are not found in any dictionary or encyclopedia.
Dr. Robert Ronstadt of Babson College calls this concept the “Corridor Principle”.
Napoleon Hill addresses this discovery of the most successful people in America by saying:
“In every setback or setback there is always the seed of an opportunity or an even greater equal benefit.”
The implication of this theory is that when you set a new goal for yourself,
you get a general idea of the action steps.
But almost inevitably, you will run into unexpected obstacles.
However, miracles can happen, as when you’re cornered,
another door of opportunity opens along the corridor to success.
When you are flexible, you will quickly take advantage of new opportunities,
and start moving in that direction, developing new products or services,
increasing sales into new market segments or buyers.
But as you move along the new “corridor,”
you will continue to encounter another difficulty or obstacle that could block your progress.
However, when you hit this new obstacle,
another opportunity opens up for you and sets you on a new path towards your goal.
This can happen a few times during false starts. In most cases,
you will achieve your greatest success in an area that is vastly different from the one you originally planned.
The key is to stay flexible in all circumstances.
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CLEAR AND FLEXIBLE
99% of all problems can be solved by money
and for the other 1% there’s alcohol. – Quentin R. Bufogle
This is the most important rule: “See your goal clearly,
but be flexible with the process of reaching it”.
Stay open to the impact of your superconscious mind.
Be sensitive to the possibility of a chance or accidental event.
Be open to ideas, inspiration, and information from others.
Jesus said, “You must become like a child if you want to go to Heaven”.
One interpretation of these words is that you must remain open-minded, flexible, calm, confident
and curious if you want to be able to recognize new opportunities
and possibilities as they open up around you on your path towards your goal.
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ALWAYS FLEXIBLE
1. Frequently ask yourself: What do I really want to do with my life?
And then make sure your current goals and activities are compatible with this answer.
2. Be absolutely honest and realistic about your life and goals.
Resolve to view time in its present reality,
not in the way you wish or in its past performance.
What changes will this entail?
3. Always be ready to admit stresses, mistakes or failures in each area of your life.
Make up your mind today to “cut your loss” in any situation possible.
4. If the situation changes, or you have new information,
be ready to change your mind based on the facts that exist today.
Do not insist on a course of action that has no real meaning.
