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Flexibility for Goal Attainment
Navigating the Unpredictable
 
BY: T. Franklin Murphy | July 1, 2018 (edited December 30, 2022)
A woman touching her feet behind her head. A Flourishing Life Society article on flexibility
Adobe Stock Images
We live in a dynamic environment. When planning, we can't account for all possibilities. We must be flexible to succeed.
​

Flexibility For Goal Attainment

We must bend, shift and dodge all those walloping haymakers that life unpredictable throws in our direction. We are goal directed. Our behaviors move us towards a purpose, whether the goal is consciously defined or not. We male plans; we implement structure, and we gather resources with the purpose obtaining or gaining something of worth. We see a destination and chart our path. This is what we do. We can foresee some of the problems that may interfere with goal obtainment but not all. The surrounding environment changes and success depends on our ability to flexibly adapt.

Some goals are very broad like avoiding pain and securing happiness; other goals very specific like getting a date with Jennifer or being promoted to program manager. The broad goals, such as avoiding pain, are biologically programmed and are a driving force for action. We often function unaware of many of these biological drives. They easily become maladaptive, focusing on immediate feedback from the environment—we feel sad, guilty, happy, or angry.

​The specific goals are conscious efforts to achieve the underlying current of the biological goals. We want to date Jennifer because we believe it will make us happy.

Key Definition:

Unconscious goals are biologically programmed into our being. We strive for survival, belonging, and competence in our current environments. Unconscious goals quietly motivate behavior.
Underlying all goals is the desire to survive. Whether that desire is formed by an entire organism or possibly as Richard Dawkins suggests from the bundle of selfish genes making up the individual (2016).

​Charles Darwin’s research concludes that it’s not the strongest that survives, nor the most intelligent but the one that is most adaptable to change. This is not only true for a species but for individuals. The ability to adapt to a wide variety of environments is key to goal fulfillment.

 
An elegant and successful approach requires not only an eye on the final target but conscious recognition of the surrounding morass where we currently reside.

Complexity Requires Flexibility

​
We live in a dynamic world, constantly moving and evolving. Encountering unplanned events is the norm, not a disastrous anomaly of bad luck. Life doesn’t go as planned. Our success in maneuvering around and through the obstacles builds or destroys our futures. Characteristics and values remain steadfast; but behaviors must be flexible. We must redirect focus, re-channeling emotions to adapt to new sets of contexts if we are to successfully navigate the complexity of life.


​For more see: The Universe is Not My Servant

Rigid goal adherence may prove fatal. We must retain sufficient flexibility to recognize when the chosen path proves inadequate, and then make appropriate changes. These changes include massive life changes such as divorce, or something routine such as moving from patience to active pursuit and then back to patience. The flexibility allows us to re-channel the emotion to act into an appropriate behavior within the current context of the environment.​

Flexibility

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The concept of flexibility seems simple but the implementation extremely complex, demanding mental resources to discriminate the subtle difference in life demands and opportunities in a wide variety of situations; and then adjust responses to effectively respond.
​

Key Definition:
​

Flexibility is the willingness and capability to adjust to dynamic and unplanned circumstance.

​Many goals are enjoyed in the comfortable, protected confines of our mind. We bounce the pleasurable thoughts through the pleasure-seeking circuits of the brain, pondering how wonderful it will be to have money, lose the weight, or get married to a specific person. The contemplation perceives no challenge—just the reward.

But life interferes, once we place our first foot on the path. The strength of the desire is often shaken when we engage in the hot emotions of change as we encounter the frustrations and temptations of the unyielding world. We must shift focus back and forth between the goal and the current environment, re-evaluating plans, adjusting routes and gathering sufficient resources. Sometimes the anticipated joys collapse, and we quit. Oddly, quitting may be an adaptive and appropriate response; other times quickly relinquishing goals hampers our lives and relegates us to a limited existence in an unsatisfying world.
 
The skill to properly use flexibility must constantly be nurtured. We improve when we are open to wisdom, learning from the environment, others and painful failures. We gather knowledge throughout life giving the wisdom to know when to stand, when to walk, and when to turn and run. We better succeed when we can accept change—the ebb and flow of existence. Our success follows constant evaluations of our current direction, the surrounding environment, and the willingness to make necessary adjustments.
​

T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings that contribute to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.
Resources:

Dawkins, R. (2016). Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press; 4th edition
Picture
Internal Link: Flagship article. Ten Beacons of Light.
Defense Mechanisms. Article link
Human Flourishing. Flourishing Life Society article link
Flourishing Life Society Link. Emotional Fitness
Relationships article data base link
Personal Development. A Flourishing Life Society article data base link
Emotion article database
Psychology Definitions Data Base Link
Psychology of Wellness Banner link to Flourishing Life Society articles

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

Faulty Symbols of Success. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Workable Plan. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Futures depend on action following thought. We must do more than dream to build better lives.
A Flourishing Life Society article link. Fear of Failure
We improve the circumstances of our lives, moving from wilting to flourishing, with small manageable steps.
Living a virtuous life is never accomplished in perfection; we integrate ethical standards one small step at a time.
A Flourishing Life Society article link. Fear of Change
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Frustration tolerance is our ability to withstand frustrations and continue moving towards goals. A Flourishing Life Society article link.
When we expect uninterrupted joy, life intrudes and we feel depressed. Life is beautiful; but not always.
Action, we need action. We can't wait for opportunities, we must work to find them, and then courageously follow the unknown paths to betterment.
Link: A healthy mind utilizes many states of excitement and rest. We must find a balance that pushes us to work but also finds time to recover.
We are engaged in a constant work of becoming, satisfying needs, entertaining wants, and creating meaning. We can do this purposely or haphazardly.
Sunk Cost Fallacy. Psychological Definitions. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Psychological Flexibility. A Flourishing Life Society article image link
We live in a dynamic environment. When planning, we can't account for all possibilities. We must be flexible.
Picture
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