Two downsides of being adaptable

I’ve always prided myself on my adaptability.

Growing up, my dad was in the military, and we moved every year or two.  So, I learned to adapt quickly to new schools and routines.

Being adaptable helped in my career during company restructurings, layoffs, and acquisitions.

Recently, my adaptability helped me change my taste buds.  I added something healthy to my diet and, at first, I didn’t like the taste.  But after just a week, I actually started to like it.

I’ve always seen my adaptability as a strength.

If it’s a strength for you as well, be aware that there are two ways your adaptability can backfire on you.

1) We stop appreciating the good things

Remember when you were excited about something new?

Maybe you were starting a great new job and you thought, “Now I’ll be happy.”

But gradually, that new thing became your everyday normal.  You stopped being excited to go to work and it became a chore.

You may find yourself constantly chasing the next thing that will bring you happiness.

If this happens to you, I recommend starting a gratitude practice.

It’s easy.  Just pause, take yourself back to when that good thing was new, and remember how you felt.  Do this every day, or anytime you notice you’re not appreciating the good things in your life.

2) We get used to bad things

Have you ever had too much work on your plate?

Most likely that didn’t happen overnight.  You had a reasonable workload.  Then one thing was added, and you adapted, then another.

Over time, your stress level rose.  But you thought, “I can handle this.  I can adapt.”

If this continued, you could reach a breaking point.  All that stress could affect your health and overall wellbeing.

We can find ourselves adapting to situations we don’t want to be in.

If this happens to you, I recommend pausing occasionally (e.g. quarterly) to ask yourself “Would I choose this?”  That simple question can help you recognize if you’ve adapted to a bad situation.

Being adaptable can be an incredible strength.  Just be careful to not let it work against you.