#106: You Have to Learn How to Adjust

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Adjusting to new happenings that decide to come your way is how you remain successful. If you don’t learn how to adjust along the way, the rapid pace of life and work will take over, leaving you overwhelmed and confused as to what to do next. As you already know, things don’t always go as planned, so it is adjustment that will keep you on track when this happens.

Author William Frederick Book said, “Learn to adjust yourself to the conditions you have to endure, but make a point of trying to alter or correct conditions so that they are most favorable to you.” So, this means that as you are adjusting to your current circumstances, your focus needs to be on two things: your current circumstances and your future success. This means that what you are going through now doesn’t have to be your future, because you have the power to adjust and make changes as you see fit. With enough thought and effort, you can change your course of direction.

Sure, we all go through tough spots — that’s called life. But what’s important is that we are constantly aware and constantly tweaking so that we come out stronger and wiser in the end. If you are in the midst of a trial right now, it is imperative that you also adopt patience. Listen, I know that you want instant results, but that’s not realistic. Everyone likes instant gratification, but that’s not real life. What you need in these times of adjustment is patience, because harnessing patience is the only way to get through trials without sacrificing sanity and clarity along the way.

In fact, I would say that the one thing people don’t discuss enough is patience. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, said that “patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success,” and I absolutely have to agree with him. But to develop patience means that we have to learn how to endure our less than ideal circumstances along the way. Helen Keller said that “we could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world,” and she’s correct in saying that, as well. From these two quotes, we see that we absolutely need patience for success, but it is only the journey of life that can teach us patience. Life is a classroom if we are aware and allow it to teach us lessons along the way.

So, how do we find patience? We all need to fall in love right now with the idea of leaving a positive lasting impression on this world. When we do this, we will realize that there is no way we can do this in a short amount of time. It’s not possible. Leaving a lasting legacy is a culmination of daily actions over a lifetime. You have to be patient if this is your mindset, and forced patience is many times the only way to adopt this mentality. People just aren’t naturally wired to be patient, but when you train yourself to be, it can be the difference between quitting things prematurely because of being fed up with mediocre results and adjusting to the right things so you can improve your results and make a bigger impact on the world over time.

When your reality doesn’t meet your desires, it’s time to adjust. In your work, if things aren’t going well, then it’s time to adjust. And if your health isn’t where you want it to be, then it’s time to adjust. Whatever you are going through, your answer may not be to completely quit what you are doing, but to adjust accordingly.

Now, go and adjust to your circumstances, today.