There is a creature in the wild called the ‘chameleon’. They are shifty little creatures, able to blend and adapt to their environment, seemingly becoming one with their surroundings. They do this by changing their skin color. Whatever the reason for the chameleon changing their skin color is, by doing so, they are able to blend and adapt to their environment.
I am a software engineer for Ancestry.com working on the user interface for their search system at the time of writing this article. I’ve been up since 6:10 AM, and just finished a P90X workout. I am now writing this blog entry. Having productive mornings has really made a positive impact on my life. This is a change I am making to further progress my life. I don’t get up 10 minutes before work now. I have plenty of time in the morning to workout, meditate, and get ready. Not only that, I am now looking back and adjusting some of the things I’ve been doing in the past.
For instance, meeting ‘The Rock’, Dwayne Johnson, is something that I am going to need a fair amount of time and money to do. Not only that, I need to show that it is worth me meeting him by being successful in other areas of my life. This includes drjerm.com, and other projects I am working on. This means I am putting off meeting him for now while I focus on the smaller tasks at hand. I was biting off a little more than I could chew jumping straight to meeting him before I take care of things in my own neck of the woods first.
My eating is changing as well. I did pretty good before, but I would still splurge once or twice a week on fries, maybe a burger, as well as eating portions a bit too large. Now I look at food as anything that is not helpful is repulsive to me. Even pizza does not sound so good now. It is amazing the mindset change that happens when you shift the focus to productive and worthwhile things. I feel much happier too. I am interested in eating fruits, vegetables, proteins, lean meats, and healthy drinks now.
How can you adapt?
I’ve seen myself and other people in ruts, unable to adapt, either because they can’t see what to change too, or they are comfortable with how they are. Take a look at this list below and see if some of these thoughts, statements, and situations are similar to what you experience:
- I’m stuck at my job and it’s going nowhere. But that’s work. That’s life.
- I can’t stand eating fish, vegetables, (insert healthy food you don’t like here).
- Debt makes me feel trapped.
- I’m bored.
- Life sure is hard.
- I lose five pounds I gain five pounds. The scale is not my friend.
- What is my problem?
- I’m snacking at night again.
- I hate seeing pictures of myself.
I’ve described some common ‘rut’ scenarios. Take a look at them. They are more common than you think. You can even read other entries in my blog and see some of them discussed at length. They are the mediocre person’s way of life, simply put. Does that sound harsh? Maybe so, but it is reality. Living with trapped mindsets, without room for adaptability or flexibility provides a generally miserable and unsatisfying life. So how do you break free of this?
Become the chameleon
There is hope. The chameleon can adapt and so can you. The powerful thing here is that all it takes is thought and choice. You are struggling with snacking at night? Keep a glass of water with you, and find something productive to do instead. Think the thought, then walk and put yourself in the position to succeed. Stay out of your kitchen and cupboards. Fill your time with worthwhile things. I have found that excessive leisure activity, even outside of working during the day, leads to an unhealthy lifestyle.
Is debt making you feel trapped? I bet that there are many non-necessary expenses you can eliminate. Make the decision to stop going out to eat so much. Stop buying little knick knacks here and there that you really don’t need. Don’t purchase in desperation. Cancel your un-necessary subscriptions. Downgrade or cancel altogether your TV plan. I have found that most people have hundreds of dollars spent each month on totally non-essential things. Simply find them and get rid of them. Fill your time with something productive that you like to do.
Expand your skills. Learn new abilities. As a software developer, I am constantly having to stay on my toes and learn new technologies and development practices. By doing this, I stay ahead and can adapt to change, such as losing my job. If that were to happen, I am confident I would be able to move on and continue without missing too much of a beat. This is so because I am confident, smart, and put in the necessary time to keep myself sharp.
The fascinating thing is that being adaptive, proactive, and productive takes more work than not doing it. It may be a little more tiring even. But I have found I am much happier when I am in this mode. It is when I am not accomplishing much and spending far too much time in leisure that my happiness begins to wane. Follow this basic principle and keep yourself engaged in something worthwhile and productive. I know with effort, determination, and a little faith, you can make it happen.
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