Adaptability

Hi!

So it has been almost 9 months since my last blog post, which means this post had the real possibility of being an entire novel but that would take me another year to create….

I wanted to talk about my obsession: Adaptability. This obsession came about after getting out of the military after spending almost a decade doing nothing but living, eating, and breathing the Army. I was like a young college grad who thought they know the road to success and were equipped to take on the world, but in reality they knew nothing and their new journey has just begun. I have been on what I like to call it a yearlong life externship, which has turned out to be the best and most challenging year of life (funny how those two things can go together).

 Yes, waking up every morning in sunny Los Angeles, California, surrounded by some of the most creative minds and endless possibility has been nothing short of amazing, but simultaneously it has been a grueling process of demystifying the unknown, quick adaptation, and culture shock; a test of emotional and mental endurance.

I get it, it wasn’t hell week during Navy Seal training and it didn’t require weeks of starvation and being shot at. This is a different form of pain and growth. The pain from social judgment, starting over, not understanding, and the worst of them all; my ego being stomped on over and over again. This is all actually a very good thing. It is the only way to be able to start over. You have to be broken down in order to be built back up (like basic training).

I then decided to take on a secret mission of my own, to “hack” things that were mysterious, frightening, or challenging in my new city. The more I ventured outside of my comfort zone the more I realized that we are all equals. A year later I can say that there really isn’t a celebrity in Hollywood that I see as being superior or better than anyone else. I immersed myself in the culture of my new environment and this allowed for me to see “behind the scenes”. At first it was quite upsetting, but soon I realized that this is real life and I was grateful for the opportunity to see the world from a different lens, and the opportunity to understand a very different culture and way of life other than what I was used to. I saw things such as; how people actually become “famous”, I was astonished at how many people it takes to manage 1 “famous” person because that person is a business. I saw how marketing makes up 90% of most businesses, and these people forget how important the actual work or the delivery is. I’ve finagled my way into some of the most exclusive places just to realize half of the people there were faking it. I have met some of the most creative business owners and interesting people, whose life stories are nothing short of epic. LA is such a melting pot. I have also seen and been a part of amazing tech startups that are changing our world so fast that nobody is able to predict what life will look like even 10 years down the road. I had/have the opportunity to interact with some of the most bad ass veterans who are making waves of innovation and creative positive change. And that shit warms my heart.

Why does all of this even matter? Well I truly believe that adaptability and creativity will be the most sought after skill. This already is the best skill to have in the military (so I personally think that veterans have an upper hand). Gone are the days of being really skilled at just one thing that can be replicated by a computer program or robot, which means less job security is coming. You may think that technology won’t affect your line of work but there is a high probability it will, and it will most definitely affect your children’s way of life. The problem that this has created is that we are not prepared; because we really don’t know what to prepare for. This is where being an ADAPTABLE, creative, problem solving, optimistic human being becomes priceless.

Again I am obsessed with adaptability because it is a skill that can be learned but not in a traditional sense and if I could explain it better I would probably have published a checklist on how to acquire this skill set, but there isn’t a blanket method or approach. I would say that following your intuition, exploring and immersing yourself in to new environments and the things you love, and solving problems that matter, are a good start and part of the process. Forget about trying to fit in or following a known path. Find a way to solve problems, optimize a current system or way of doing things, or go out and create your own. If you aren’t willing to use your creative brain or be seen as “uncool” or some form of obnoxious social judgment then you’ll never be a change agent in life or in your organization. Leaders are change makers; out to solve and tackle worthwhile problems knowing that they will have to remain adaptable and move forward even when fearful. So seek out that uncomfortable situation and knock down that ego.

Disclaimer: This is purely my opinion (based off experience) on the subject of adaptability. If you have any insight you’d like to share please feel free to comment or send me an email. Much love,

Be Beautiful. Be Brave.

-Angela