For the past month I’ve been working on a full-day training for a client. I really want it to be fantastic, but it has been challenging.

There is no one to blame; the client has had several unexpected situations that required us to make changes more than once.

Do you know what that is like? You believe you know where you are headed. You think you have clear direction. Then suddenly things change.

It’s times like this when flexibility is critical. When we are flexible,

We are more productive. Instead of being bogged down by frustration or spending our energy trying to control things we can’t control, we focus on what we can control. We spend less time going in circles and more time moving forward.

We are better problem-solvers. This is a buddy to the previous one. We avoid tunnel vision or relying too heavily on how we’ve always done it. We think more creatively. Instead of getting stuck in the problem itself, we focus on solving the problem.

We are less frustrated and anxious. A go-with-the-flow approach produces positive emotions. We don’t lament over what isn’t working or what isn’t going right. Our positive emotions feed our motivation and keep us moving forward.

We are someone others want to work with. Holding on too tightly to what we want or planned for closes us off from growing. Inflexibility makes a person rigid and difficult to work with. In fact, inflexibility can be the thing that makes you the person others avoid.

We have more fun. The mundane goes out the window and the excitement of surprise is energizing. We get to use our Good-humored G Factor. (Okay, maybe this one is more of an attitude choice.)

Sure, the client training I am working on is challenging, BUT it has been a welcome and wonderful opportunity to practice my flexibility. Stretch. Stretch. Stretch. I just might be Olympic level by the time the training is complete.