By Kelechi Udoagwu
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
― Albert Einstein
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, I wrote about sticking with our personal values, how they form the foundation of human character, and keep us moving towards our life goals regardless of the demands of the world around us. We were not close to the peak of the health crisis then; it’s almost unbelievable when I reflect on the cycles of change, uncertainty and unrest we have experienced in the months since.
Most of the plans we made for 2020 have changed whether we welcomed it or not. Business travel, family vacations, school events, plans with friends, and regular gym workouts are some of the everyday activities that have been cut from our lives with no calculable time of a return to normal.
As humans, we can handle change, but we do not handle uncertainty well.
As more time passes with the pandemic, political unrest and protests, most of us are beginning to feel anxious and out of control of our lives, jobs, and society around us. To regain a sense of control and purpose, we should take some time to review our personal values and observe the world as it is today.
When we carve out time to do this intentionally, we are more capable of navigating our way through times of change at work, at home, or in pursuit of self-development. This helps us cultivate flexibility of thinking, stay alert to changes, and trust that our values, knowledge, skills, and character honed into intuition over the years will keep us and those under our care high above water.
In moments of uncertainty, knowing that your intuition feeds from your prioritized values gives you the assurance to make needed decisions and move forward.
What is Flexible Thinking?
Flexible thinking, as defined by best-selling author, Leonard Mlodinowalso, is “the capacity to let go of comfortable ideas and become accustomed to ambiguity and contradiction; the capability to rise above conventional mindsets and to reframe the questions we ask; the ability to abandon our ingrained assumptions and open ourselves to new paradigms; the propensity to rely on imagination as much as on logic and to generate and integrate a wide variety of ideas; and the willingness to experiment and be tolerant of failure.“
In simple words, flexible thinking is an intuitive ability to assess your environment, your values, mindset, and strengths, and leverage the best combination to make the best decisions, regardless of changes around us.
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Adopting Flexible Thinking
Please note that flexibility in how we execute on our values is not the same thing as ditching our values. Below are three steps to adopt flexible thinking.
Step 1 – Assess and prioritize your values.
Most of us have a number of personal values that are not clearly prioritized. We know we value these principles but haven’t thought of which is most important. If you are not clear on what is most important to you and the person you want to become, you will not be able to think flexibly and effectively when you need to.
If however, you assess your values and prioritize them, you will be able to make better decisions. An example is a black man living in the US whose values include standing up for himself and being present for his family. In today’s America, he has to perceive how those values may be tested and even be at odds. Knowing one’s values and how they relate to each other allows for more flexibility, moment to moment.
Step 2 – Review and focus your strengths.
After you have prioritized your values, you should now review your strengths. Your values assessment will have brought your essential inner qualities and life goals to the forefront of your mind. As you review your strengths, you will find areas that overlap and complement your values. You see a visual layout of where your core values and strengths overlap. Revel in this. Appreciate your strengths.
Let’s say your strengths are tenacity, fidelity and playfulness. How might these correlate with your values? Tenacity might lead you always to follow through, fidelity finds ways to honor commitments, and playfulness helps you celebrate others after a good day’s work.
Step 3 – Observe the situation around you.
The third step would be to objectively observe the world, noting what you can control and what you can’t. The confidence that comes from knowing what you stand for (your values), knowing what you can do (your strengths), and being alert to the changes around you (your environment) will help you make better decisions quicker in times of change.
Your values, strengths, and alertness to the environment intuitively direct your energy and attention in the most efficient ways.
The Power of Flexible Thinking
The ongoing, still spreading coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty and disorder into our lives. Despite this, parents, leaders, and organizations have to make efficient and principled decisions to move forward.
During periods of change, you may have the desire to put off making big decisions, hoping that the future brings clarity. Deferring decisions may have costs and waiting for additional information may incur more damages, wasted time, decrease in motivation/increase in fear, and a general lack of clarity or direction.
By taking the time to review your values and strengths while staying alert to changes in the environment, you can think flexibly and quickly and make the best decisions that align with your personal values and purpose.
Photo by Frank Romero on Unsplash
