The little character  {zazzle.com} is perplexed because what he thought was stable turned out not to be! Something agility dogs discover to be the case pretty soon in their training. He howls

"IT MOVED"

Life today "moves" a lot for most of us! It is complex, unpredictable and uncertain, often called a VUCA World. Too often we ask ourselves to resolve  issues, make decisions before we have even properly processed them. We respond in our tried and true patterns only to find we come up short.            

If we are going to thrive then we need to do things differently because as we have heard many a time doing the same thing will only give us the same result. This is a hard and sometimes prolonged lesson to learn; and we each have to follow our own individual path. Very few people will change or adapt their behaviour on the say so of another person. We follow our preferred way of being - it is the known it is our comfort level.

These writings are not about convincing you to make changes or to be some-one other than who you are. I am here to offer information and choices to those of you who are curious; or perhaps because a personal choice or external circumstance have driven your decision to look for new ways to leverage your strengths and abilities. 

• Do you know your Myers Briggs Type? Or your Interaction Style {Berens}
• Have you verified your 'true' type? - this may or may not match your assessed type.
• Have you been following the discussions on 'agility' in the business and learning press?
• Like the dogs in the agility arena how practiced are you at responding quickly to an ever changing environment?
• Maybe a prior question should be what other options do I have? and what do these look or sound like?
• Is this intellectual 'stuff' really practical?
• I don't have time now how can I be expected to take on more?

 How many of these are you able to answer? Several? A couple, none? I'd love to change that because I believe the answer to these questions is what will give you the key to being able to practice AGILITY which will allow you to be RESILIENT and so have the best opportunity to THRIVE.   

Two key concepts for success in life, in the workplace and to pass on to the next generation are to build resilience and to learn to be agile by valuing diversity and understanding yourself.

What is it costing you not to take the time to do the work, acquire these skills?

• Better communication
• Less aggravation
• Increased productivity and creativity 
• Increased efficiency
• Fewer unpleasant surprises
  
• Greater confidence

Dare you count the months, years you have spent trying to resolve the same challenges, using up resources and energy only to find yourself facing similar dilemmas, the same stresses you felt resolved a few months earlier? What has been the toll on you, your family life, your relationships?

Our usual way of behaving and of making decisions is part nature part nurture. We are born with certain preferences which are either reinforced or challenged as we grow up and move through our lives. Circumstance, environments and culture all play their part.

As a Rational, Designer Theorist, INTP I enjoy the journey for the sake of the adventure, but I have also learnt to value the parts of me that want to reach out and share, that want to mentor and educate. The coolest part is that in so doing I increase my own agility, my own ability to value diversity, and hence my own resilience. For me the greatest gift is to share this with a new generation ... this is what I strive for, this is what keeps me hopeful ....

Find those skills and you find renewed energy; the freedom to make informed choices; the power to truly run life on your terms.