Malleable Adults

Oh, how quickly things can change! Before you begin to think you have a clear grasp on your reality let’s play a mind game. I want you to take an assessment of how you’re feeling as you read this. Even those of you that had the worst of days are probably doing “pretty good.”

You have a clear picture of your reality. Certain things are important, others are not. Based on how you feel, you are probably thinking certain things.

Now, you’ve just ate a contaminated vegetable and within seconds you’ll be in the throughs of the worst food poisoning you’ve ever experienced. In five minutes, you’re whole perspective is different.

You have a new reality. Different things are important, other things no longer matter. Based on how you feel, you’re probably only able to think about certain things.

In this simple example, one can imagine two very different worlds (especially if you remember what food poisoning is like). I think we can take some of this observation as insight into how our seemingly firmly rooted perspectives are still amendable.

I’m currently reading a text called ‘Changing on the Job: Developing Leaders for a Complex World’ by Jennifer Garvey Berger about adult development. Optimistically, the text uses the field of psychology to change and develop perspectives, skills, and leadership traits of adults. The idea being that “old dogs can learn new tricks.”

Without giving you a book report on the details of the text, let me tell you why I’m sharing all this with you. I work with adults on a daily basis that can’t wait to tell me and those around them how they are. They are “flexible, but not fast.” Or, they are a “slow learner” and “not very athletic.” They believe so much about themselves that is set it stone that… well, it is. But, only because they believe it is so.

Here’s the deal. Despite what you think or history has shown, you’re still a work in progress. So, if you’re you’ve got a habit or a trait you aren’t so thrilled about, rest assured that it’s not a permanent one. Well, it’s not a permanent one as soon as you stop saying it is.

Think about that.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach