Of course everyone knows how to finish the sentence partially stated in the title, try try again. In my first post on the subject of resilience, Rebound, I mentioned that the best rebounders aren’t always the tallest players. They are the ones who want the ball the most. Their desire leads to persistence. Tenacity, determination and resolve also come to mind to describe this quality. I have come to learn that another quality is essential to resilience, adaptability.
Life has taught me a different way to finish the sentence. If first you don’t succeed, reevaluate and try again. I’ve learned this on our family ranch with my Dad. Solving unexpected problems was our existence when working there. We didn’t want to lose time driving back into town, so we did our best to use the tools and materials we had on hand to come up with solutions. Creativity was the order of the day. Doing what we had already done was almost never the answer.
Albert Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved with the same level of consciousness that created it.” When something doesn’t work for me I do my best to go into reevaluation mode. The first question I ask myself is, “what important information am I missing?” Is there something I have overlooked? What is the missing piece?
The next step is to look at my assumptions. I covered this in length in my post, CYA (Check Your Assumptions). So many of my decisions and actions are based on assumptions. It’s time to give them a closer look.
Finally I examine myself, honestly. How am I a part of this problem? What did I do to help bring this situation about?
Science has proven the most successful species are not always the biggest, strongest or fastest. They are the most adaptable. Just trying again hasn’t always worked for me. Reevaluating makes all the difference.
May you have enough today, one moment at a time.
THIS HELPED ME 