Adaptability is happiness

We think happiness comes from getting what we want. When the plan works, the people agree, we have boatloads of money, the outfits are perfect, the breaking news is quiet, and the path is smooth, we will finally be happy. In this context, happiness is something to be earned, achieved, and strived for. However, real happiness—quiet, rooted, and sustaining—comes from something available to us right now: adaptability. The willingness to pivot, adjust, access our creativity even when it is uncomfortable, or begin again is the key that unlocks our freedom. Making a new choice is not giving up; it is a characteristic of strength, remaining open.

Adaptability isn’t passive. It’s powerful. It means we trust ourselves enough to let go of what should have been, and meet what is with grace. Life does not want us to be rigid—it asks us to respond. Our rigidity is what causes our suffering. Our job is to be open enough to flow like water, so we can move over, under, through, or around whatever appears in our path. Sometimes this flow means that we allow ourselves to be uncomfortable while learning a new skill or integrating new knowledge. Adaptability doesn’t mean that things all of a sudden become easy, but we no longer need them to be easy.

Where might your rigidity be causing some suffering?