Learning To Adjust

One of the best ways to prepare yourself for life is to understand that NOTHING will go exactly as planned. So whatever dreams that you have now, just remember that those dreams may never happen -- or they may not happen the way YOU want them to happen.

Ever heard that someone is "old and set in his/her ways?" That's actually a very dangerous position to be in. If you're set in your ways, then that means you can't adjust. If something can't adjust, then it breaks. You can't adjust a stick. You could only bend it so far until it breaks. You can adjust metal. All you need to do is melt it (I know, I said that as if it were an easy thing to do) and mold it into whatever you want. A block of iron could become a sword, a piece of a ship, or added into a nutritional supplement. Metal is one of the most adjustment elements in the world, and as such, we use it for anything from tooth fillings to weaponry to electronics.

The more adjustable you are, the less problems you'll have when life sucker-punches you. But if you're not able to bend, then when life pulls the rug from under you, you would fall to the floor and break into a thousand little pieces.

If you come to my ZUMBA classes, you probably thought that the class would be easy because you always exercise. Then once you came to class, you found yourself struggling. I designed the class to keep you from getting settled in your ways, which means that class will NEVER get easy for you, no matter how fit you are. The class involves jumping, side shuffles, squats and lunges, punches, balancing, running, etc., etc. And when you thought that you got the hang of class, I throw something else in there to take you off guard. Some call this method "muscle confusion." I simply call it "keeping you flexible."

My classes reflect all the moves you do in real life. You don't just simply walk straight, do you? No, you walk backwards, to the side, you squat to poop, you have to balance yourself, you have to push and pull and lift, etc. If all we did in class was to run in place, then how would that prepare you for real life? That is why one-directional exercises like running or swimming won't be as effective in preparing you for life as, say, basketball would -- an exercise that involves jumping, running, changing directions, spinning around, using the arms, and keeping a sharp focus on your opponents and team members.

In real life, NOTHING is set in stone. Otherwise, we could simply sit back and relax and assume that everything would continue in the same way forever. Tornadoes happen. Economies crash. Boats sink. Businesses shut down. Schools close their doors. Spouses walk out of marriages. Children could turn to a life of crime. Anything could happen at any time, and if you refuse to believe that, then you'll break in pieces should life decides to change the rules on you.

Some of you are so set on routines that the very thought of making adjustments scares you! Remember that nothing is set in stone. Anything at any moment could occur that would rock your world, whether for the best or for the worst. Maybe a new business opportunity comes up that is nowhere related to your skills. What, would you simply reject it because it wasn't what you majored in college for? If this opportunity could possibly change your life for the best, be willing to adjust to a new lifestyle.

Being adjustable is not [exactly] the same as being prepared. If your car breaks down on the highway and you have roadside assistance, that's being prepared. But, let's take my case for example. While driving on the highway, the dashboard on my Prius started lighting up! Then shortly afterwards, my Prius lost acceleration because my engine shut off. So, I slowly pulled to the side of a very busy interstate. For safety, I went away from the car and chilled among the trees, watching everybody breeze by. I had roadside assistance, but had some trouble accessing it. I knew what the problem was, however, so I decided to let the car cool off. Then after about 30 or so minutes, I got in the car, turned on my heater on high and slowly drove off the highway. I was still over an hour away from home, so I looked at my map for back roads to home. I made it home without further incident. That is an example of being adjustable. Instead of getting my car towed, I tried to fix the problem. PLUS, after I got home, I eventually repaired the car myself instead of having someone else do it.

Another time, one of my old cars started leaking gasoline so bad that the gas tank was getting empty. I was getting tensed about breaking down on the road. I was able to get to a shopping center just in time, because the car finally died. I diagnosed the issue and knew exactly what happened. My wife (who was with me), called our neighbor to meet us. She bought us some gas, but then she picked up a part from an auto parts place. I had my tools with me and I fixed the issue on the spot. We were able to drive our car home instead of having it towed. That, my friends, is being adjustable.

So, adjusting is not exactly the same as being prepared. When you're simply prepared, you just have a back-up plan to get you out of trouble. When you ADJUST, you may not necessarily have a back-up plan. Instead, you might come up with a plan ON SITE to fix your problems. But in order to come up with a last-minute plan, you need to be learning something new all the time. Otherwise, when you find yourself losing gas on the road, you'll just break down and cry, wishing that you weren't so broke and that you could afford a better car. When you know how to adjust, you won't be so helpless when problems come up.

You could never fully prepare yourself for everything in life. Sometimes, your back-up flashlight doesn't work. Sometimes, your back-up car has a flat. Sometimes, your back-up babysitter isn't available. But you could ALWAYS adjust. The more you could adjust, the more "unstoppable" you could be in life. But if you're dead-set on routine with no willingness to change course, then any little problem could take you down hard.