Flexibility – a critical life skill!

I’m not talking about doing yoga, though it applies to your body as well, if you don’t wish to break your bones, that is! I’m speaking of cognitive flexibility and how essential this becomes when you’re contemplating big life changes, as even the best laid plans can sometimes fall apart. I learned this lesson the hard way over the past few years and it’s clear to me that I’ll continue to hone this skill throughout my life. 

When I quit in 2017, I had a clear plan in place – hire a builder to convert my garage into a guesthouse for a set sum, which I would then rent out, while I spent time traveling. It turned out that labor costs in Portland had gone up 30% since I started planning. But I kept my eye on my goal and took on the task of designer and project manager myself, in order to stay on budget. When the rental market went down, due to massive over building in the city, I again had to reconsider, as it became obvious that I wasn’t going to get enough rent to cover all of the property expenses, as I had planned. 

So, I adjusted said plan and moved into the guesthouse, while renting out the main house. It wasn’t a decision I came to easily, because I kept thinking that I couldn’t possible rent out my cute house to strangers and live in a smaller space. But that was my ego talking and part of maintaining mental flexibility, in my humble opinion, is to recognize when a thought is ego-driven vs. your intuition.

Even know, having accomplished 3 major life goals recently, I still remind myself every day to remain flexible.  At the moment, I’m wrestling with the idea of doing some consulting work in financial services. This isn’t part of my aforementioned plan, but maybe something I need to do and frankly, I’m fighting it tooth and nail. Every time I sit down to update my CV, my anxiety goes up and I end up distracting myself with some other task. However I’m allowing myself the mental space to think, by getting outside for runs, taking time to meditate, write and simply just enjoy life.  

As mentioned in my last article, I’m trusting the process, listening to my inner voice and remaining flexible, because our mind-set will shift and evolve, if we remain flexible. As the song says, “Hold on loosely, but don’t let go”.  I wonder how many get that reference! 🙂