Being adaptable like Bamboo
Changing your perspective towards adaptability by looking at Bamboo.
Maintaining a routine is extremely important for consistency because you have certain cues throughout the day to remind you of particular habits to practice (e.g after breakfast to drink water or before going to sleep to learn a new fact).
However, life is filled with unexpected turns and twists.
Whether you have an exam deadline coming up, the heating not working or you have woken up late feeling that you are not able to salvage the day.
Ultimately, these events disturb your natural flow of self-improvement and consistency. It forces you to re-organize your time, daily routines and habits.
Being like bamboo is key to dealing with these challenges.
From the characteristics of bamboo, it is difficult to break from wind resembling resilience.
In terms of bamboo, exceeding its limits with excessive force can break it. However, the flexibility can become strengthened through steaming or boiling to soften the fibres and also by applying pressure over time to bend it
Just as bamboo can be strengthened and made more flexible through intentional methods, individuals can strengthen their adaptability through intentional actions by sharpening their skills, developing their weaknesses and taking on feedback.
Know Your Limit like bamboo….. Snap!
Just as Bamboo has its limit to how much it can bend before breaking, knowing our limits as individuals are important to make appropriate adjustments accordingly.
Take the example of Person X who applies for a role that involves interacting with people. During the interview, the interviewee mentions that Person X is a reserved and shy individual. Person X may feel uncomfortable hearing that, but taking on the feedback is important to make those adjustments.
When we accept and recognize our weaknesses, we can begin improving them to create a better you. Everybody has weaknesses and acknowledging + working on them is part of the natural human experience.
Just like not acknowledging the flexible limit of bamboo, it will snap. Therefore avoiding our limitations can affect our ability to work on ourselves cultivating a lack of authenticity and a negative mindset.
Ultimately, by being self-aware we can identify our weaknesses and make a progress in evolving ourselves.
Growing through adversity
Bamboo is highly resilient that grows in a variety of environments withstanding various challenges. Bamboo has evolved its ways to adapt to different soils, temperatures, and rainfall patterns.
As adaptability is an important part of survival, especially for bamboo. We can take this characteristic of resilience and be able to bounce back from setbacks and hurdles as an important trait.
As we need to thrive in different situations to expand our perspective, develop new coping mechanisms to adapt to these situations and learn new skills.
Keeping on going through adversity when many have given up can provide that competitive advantage.
Creativity
Bamboo is a material that has a wide range of applications from clothing to construction. It is a sustainable and Eco-friendly material compared to traditional ones therefore it is an increasingly popular choice.
Similarly, creative thinkers can identify skill sets they possess and how that can be applied to other aspects of their life. Like graphic designers who can apply their skills to marketing or website design, they can expand their career options and explore new opportunities.
This involves being open-minded to different perspectives and adjusting their strategies in response to new information or changing circumstances.
Being a creative thinker when involved in creating innovative solutions to problems and thinking outside the box. It provides an opportunity to create something that can be an extremely useful alternative.
Growth mindset
Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that can reach maturity in just a few years, and it continues to grow throughout its lifespan.
In the same way, adaptable individuals often have a growth mindset, meaning they are open to learning and change throughout their lives to become the best version of themselves.
To learn more about the growth mindset, check out this article:
Final thoughts
In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, adaptability is a key trait to staying ahead of the curve by embracing change and uncertainty we can develop new skills to navigate new challenges. It gives an opportunity for us to identify our weakness and work on them to become the best version of ourselves.
