Why do we have to adapt to changes or people?

Here at True Balance Karate, we have a character development program called True Character.

I’m Master H, head instructor and owner here at the studio. I have two master’s degrees in education, and we have designed our curriculum to meet the needs of anyone who walks through our doors.

Our youngest student is three and our oldest is 83. As we talk about words like adaptability, we make sure that it is appropriate for the age group that’s sitting in front of us.

Adapt to reach goals

This month we’re talking about adaptability.

In January, we talked about goal setting and creating a smart goal — and what we need to do to achieve that.

In February, we talked about discipline and how we need our discipline to be able to achieve that goal. We need to know what we will do and what we won’t do, so that we can keep moving forward on that positive path that we set forth with our goals in January.

And this month, we are talking about adaptability because as you work towards your goals, you will have to adapt. You will hit a plateau and you will need to make some changes.

We need each other

We explain adaptability to the younger kids as “the willingness and ability to change.”

This week’s topic is: Why?

Why do we have to adapt to people?

Why do we have to make these changes?

The simple answer is: because we need each other.

We can’t achieve much completely on our own. We need help. We need advice. We need to find common ground.

The only way to find that common ground is to be able to adapt, be able to adjust and make those changes.

We work together with others

Now, I am 43 years old. When I graduated from high school, we did not have in our pockets the fancy fabulous smartphone that I am currently recording this video on.

In fact, we had pagers at the time. But technology evolves, and that technology evolved by people working together to grow that technology.

It may have been one person who discovered it, but then to put it into production and put it out there for everyone to utilize takes a lot of people.

It takes a lot of adaptations and a lot of working together in order for that to happen.

A lot has changed since back then. And we all now have some type of electronic device that we utilize to check email, send texts, share videos and pictures and those types of things.

So, the ability to adapt is second nature to being human.

Not wanting to change

For some of us — I’m thinking of two and three year olds who throw a temper tantrum because they don’t want to change the activity right then and there — it can be a little bit difficult and a little bit daunting.

I will openly admit as an adult there are times I really don’t want to change what I am doing right now.

I just want to stay and finish my task or the episode I’m watching on Netflix.

And I’d really like to throw a temper tantrum like the two-, three-, or four-year-old.

But we need to adapt. We need to change.

We need to find that common ground because we accomplish more when we work together.

So, why do we have to adapt?

The Why is because we’re human — it’s because that is who we are.

That is how we grow and how we learn.

It’s how we question and how we quiz each other.

It is how we get to the answers to problems that we’re searching for and the understanding that follows.

Why do we have to adapt? Why do we have to make changes? Why do we have to better understand different learning styles?

Because we run into a multitude of people every day — from those we run into in the grocery store, to those we work with at work, to those we see in our schools. We run into so many different people.

Adapt your personality

If we use the same personality with every single person we run into, it might not go well with a few of them.

We need to be aware that people sometimes are having a bad day and we can adapt our own personality to be understanding of where they’re coming from.

On the other hand, people sometimes are having a really great day. In this case, we suddenly find ourselves smiling and laughing together with them.

These simple emotions help us adapt.

Set a good example

So, because we are human — that is our Why.

We have to adapt.

We have to make changes. We have to communicate.

We have to talk about where we’re at with our goals — and how disciplined we’ve been.

We have to ask questions of, “How can I get past this little plateau or bump in the road or error in my thinking”?

Even if we feel like being a two- or three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, we have to remember that as we adapt we are setting a great example for others around us to adapt as well.

Thanks and we’ll see you on the mat.

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True Balance Karate was founded in 2012 by Master Sue and Paul Helsdon.

We offer kids karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up. These lessons are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need — specialized for their age group — for school excellence and later success in life.

Our adult martial arts training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay) in shape, or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.

Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week at 630-663-2000. You can also contact us here.