Daily Gratitude: I used to avoid change like the plague. I’ve improved some but nowhere near what I’d like. It’s hard for me to adapt a “happy” face when I say or write the word “change”. But, the word “flexibility” has a nice ring to it so it’s something i can hold on to. If I look at a situation as one where I need to evoke my flexibility, then it’s a challenge I don’t mind accepting. It’s a viewpoint. If I look at a change in my plans, let’s say because the airline messed up the flights, I get upset. But if I look at this same situation as “I am a flexible person so how will I demonstrate my flexibility in getting to my destination”, it’s less painful. As I write this I think it boils down to a sense of control (no surprise there). Notice I said a sense of control, not actual control. Both viewpoints involve someone else determining my “fate” but the first one (thinking about it as change) is me having something imposed on me without any input from me (how dare they). The second viewpoint (flexibility) means I am doing something different with the emphasis on the three simple words “I” and “am doing”. My response (being flexible) is within my control. The situation isn’t. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s an adaptation that’s part of the human experience (the need for control). Even if you’re shaking your head saying “why dont you just let go?”, my answer is that that’s flexibility- letting go is a response and again, that is within your control. Looking at it this way may help you overcome any persistent resistance to change that you may have.