Agility as Stability

Change can show up as something obvious and unavoidable. It forces us to adapt.

Before the need to change is obvious, it might be hanging out in the periphery.

Whether you see it clearly yet or not, change is always there, persisting as a subtle reminder that our illusions of stability are comically naive.

But our want for stability is very real and very normal. The desire for stability is rooted in our need to feel safe and secure. But, what if the most effective way to feel safe and secure is less about fortifying a stable position, and instead learning a different approach?

We’re almost there

There’s a pattern that exists in nearly every person, to some degree. It’s a feeling, a belief we’ve all embodied at some point.

I want to call it out.

It’s the idea that “we’re close.”

• We just need to close one more big sale, and then we can relax.
• We just need to get through the busy seasons and then things will slow down.
• We just need to have this baby and then the list is clear.

We are so close. We can feel it, we’re almost there. It’s *just…*a little further.

We yearn for the sweet feeling of accomplishment. We chase the rush that comes from checking the box.

But, friends… there are so many more boxes.

We never really get “there,” because there is always another “there.”

“There” isn’t a destination, it’s a fleeting feeling that starts evaporating the moment we arrive.

Seeking Comfort

The illusion that we are almost there keeps us from actively embracing change. Because why would you go through the arduous process of change, when you are so close to being “done?”

Yet we all understand that our health and fitness journey doesn’t end when the workout is over. The website isn’t done once we push it live. Our professional development isn’t complete once we’ve learned a few Excel macros or clever GPT prompts.

We are wired to avoid energy expenditure, to preserve energy for when we might need it, to seek out comfort.

But is lasting comfort found in the stillness of a large fluffy dinner roll, or in the knowledge that we are ready for what awaits us in the future?

What if Agility is the secret to Stability?

Over the years, as the ground has moved under my own feet, I have found that it was during the times where I dug in and resisted the inevitable changes, that I struggled the most. By contrast, I’ve found the most effective method for reorienting myself and rediscovering stability, is by focusing on my own flexibility. Learning the ability to remain agile so I can adapt to changes quickly, has become one of my most useful superpowers.

The tallest buildings achieve stability against wind and earthquakes, in large part, not because of rigidity, but flexibility. In times of turbulent change, we need to be able to sway, stretch, flex, and regain our balance.

So while we are not naturally or socially inclined toward change, we can learn to adapt more quickly and reliably by practicing the following three skills.

Stretching

Stretching happens during the calm period before the exertion.

Prior to a workout, we stretch to loosen tight muscles. Without stretching, we increase our risk of injury.

The same is true in our professional development. We need to loosen those “muscles” before we need to use them.

Stretching means preparation and practice. A good stretch can be a little uncomfortable.

But the more we do it, the greater our range of motion, which improves our overall quality of life.

Stretching ourselves helps us to stay agile and nimble when change requires it.

Flexibility

Flexibility describes both our range of motion and our posture. Regardless of how much we stretch, if we hold our posture too rigidly, we will lack flexibility.

Tightness and resistance can be hallmarks of strengths but flexibility is one of the secrets to speed.

Having a posture of openness to possibilities and opportunities allows us to see additional pathways to our goal we might’ve missed had we anchored ourselves in one perspective.

Working on improving our posture of flexibility means working on our empathy, critical thinking, and emotional regulation. Each of these allows us to be more agile, rather than locked in a stiff and stubborn posture.

Learning

As I’ve mentioned many times before, Learning is one of our most potent meta-abilities. It is the key that unlocks so many doors.

Learning is our method of expanding our readiness as the world changes around us.

If your industry, technology, or material conditions are moving too quickly, the answer isn’t to quit, it’s to learn something.

It’s to have something to contribute when we inevitably need one another in a changing world.

Steady on the moving target

I’d been thinking about change a lot lately. I use a lot of technology and it is moving so quickly.

And even though relative to most, I am ahead of the curve, there are times where I want to just throw my hands up, declare that “I quit,” and move to Denmark to sell ice cream. The newsfeed is full of chaos, the predictions grow more dire with each passing day, and the fluffy dinner roll I want is looking more and more attractive.

But that’s just another “there” that doesn’t exist.

So instead, I’m stopping to take a deep breath, do a little stretching, focus on my flexibility, and get back to learning.

I hope you will too.

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