Adapt To The Situation

"Take the world as it is, not as it ought to be."

~ German Proverb ~

My first marathon race was about as miserable of a situation as I've ever been in. While I technically made it, I just about had to crawl to the finish line. To put it bluntly, compared to what I'd thought I'd do, I'd failed miserably.

But, I have found that some of the most valuable lessons are often learned through such failure. Though it doesn’t happen automatically. To really learn from your failures requires you to be completely honest about what didn’t work and why.

And so it was with my pitiful showing in my first marathon. I knew that if I was going to learn from it, I needed to take a good, hard look at where I had gone wrong. And there was plenty to choose from.

Having the “I already know it all” mentality had hurt me. I just assumed that my shorter mileage races would translate into running marathons, so I prepared as I had done before. I didn't consider the differences involved. And that was a big mistake.

The truth is, there are many differences between marathon and shorter distance running—things like pacing, hydration, etc., can make a huge difference on race day. And all of this must be considered during your training leading up to the race

You can’t simply do what you've always done as you prepare and then come race day suddenly try to change things up and expect to perform well. It just doesn’t work that way. That’s why proper training is so important.

And while you may never run a marathon yourself, I hope you see how this applies in your own life. Change, and having to adapt to it, is no longer optional. It's something we must deal with on an almost daily basis.

You simply can't do things the way you have always done them. You have to adapt to the current situation. In matters of principle, stay firm, for sure. On other things, however, you must be open to change or risk becoming obsolete.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

Comments

[Alan]

Great illustration Jay. Proper preparation is always a good strategy. When setting out on a new course we must first discipline ourselves to begin by doing our due diligence and research in order to uncover the appropriate preparation pathway that will give us the best chance to succeed.

[Chick]

We must adapt in order to grow, otherwise we stay stuck at a level which may be far below the potential that God has placed in us. We must not be rigid in our thinking, we must stay flexible and always be open to new ways of doing things. Being "rigid" in our thinking is another way of saying we are "paralyzed" in our thinking. :-) Great blog post Jay, I got a lot out of it, thanks!

[Cheryl Yantis]

Thanks Jay, a reminder is always great. Adaptability needs to be worked as you go. Prior, proper planning is good, but the more you learn them more you know and can use. Sometimes we have to experience it to complete it.

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Alan! Excellent points, as always. You're right, much of it does have to do with having the self-discipline to properly prepare for the task as hand.

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Chick! The ability to adapt is one of the many gifts we have as human beings. Without it, we can, as you say, become "paralyzed" in our thinking.

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Cheryl! I agree, sometimes the experience we gain from failure can beat any other lesson we could be given.

[Rick]

What a timely article! With our contract about to end, "business as usual" is about to stop and a new way of doing things is about to begin. To remain relevant to any job situation, one has to be willing to adapt, change and at times improvise to keep current. Wait. Didn't I hear that in a movie once?! :-) Thanks Jay! Very timely! Semper Fi, Rick