As every week begins, many of us look ahead to the next seven days and have a pretty solid expectation of what those days will hold for us.  We head into Monday trying to get back into the grind.  As Wednesday rolls by, we mark the middle of the week.  We anticipate Friday as the eve of the weekend.  Saturday we get done those recurring errands that dog us every week.  Then, on Sunday, it starts over again.  Rinse and repeat.

Maybe we call it a grind if we see it as a negative thing.  Maybe we call it the groove if we’re more concerned with the efficiency and effectiveness our schedule allows us to achieve.  The rigidity in our schedule, though sometimes aggravating, also provides us with a sense of security.  We can count on it.  To a degree, we like to know what is coming.

But the word “rigidity” also has a down side.  It hints at the fact that even strong objects will break when enough force is applied.  What if you were flexible to the point that you couldn’t be broken?

The leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, had exactly this quality.  He was known as Mr. Fantastic.  He had the ability to bend, twist, stretch, contort, shrink, expand, and flex his body to extremes.  There was no situation he couldn’t adapt to physically.  Something out of reach wasn’t a problem.  A small space to fit into wasn’t a problem.

Many of us have this quality in a more figurative sense.  The Gallup StrengthsFinder calls it adaptability.  This talent allows a person to react to a changing landscape.  Disrupt their schedule, they’ll adapt.  Change their routine, they’ll adapt.  Surprise them and you’ll swear they saw it coming.  Show up late, and they’ll be doing their best to forge ahead without help.  This isn’t to say that they don’t make plans – they do – The difference in this adaptability talent is that they are flexible.  Like Mr. Fantastic, they will adapt to their changing environment.

If you have this talent you may see your life as the ocean.  You may have ideas about what to expect in the next year, the next month, the next week, the next day, or even the next hour.  What makes you special is that you are okay if your forecasts aren’t entirely accurate.  You sit on your surfboard, floating on the ocean that is your life.  You wait for what comes next.  From the direction of the horizon a huge swell approaches the shore.  As you prepare to ride this next wave it doesn’t matter where it will take you because you can change your plan to fit any situation you encounter.  Every wave is different, but you’ll find a way to ride whatever hits you. Surf’s up!