Is there a difference between conformity and adaptability?

Have you ever known someone so much you know the next thing they're going to say?

I'm not talking about a parent, sibling, or a spouse,

I'm talking about someone you're following who may not even know you?

Late last year, in one of Ajulu's webinars, he mentioned something.

He said you can be mentored by someone who doesn't know you.

At that time, I didn't know how possible it was. I've not really had a close mentor, so how is it even possible to have a distant mentor?

I kept doubting until I came across Sarah Jakes.

How is it possible to feel so connected to someone you've never met, just by watching youtube videos?

I can easily predict what Sarah will add to her sentences.

I know how she pronounces words, how she moved her hand when she talks, knows when she will add humor to her sentence and when she will repeat what she said.

This could be because I've been seeing her videos at least 4 to 5 times every week for the past few months.

I took a break though. For two weeks now, I've not seen any of her videos, I decided to do that today, and as usual, she said something that picked my interest.

She said adaptability is not the same as conformity.

I always thought they meant the same thing like Conformity is the biblical way of saying Adaptability.

After listening to her talk, I did some personal research, and yeah, they're quite different, but just like I thought they were the same, some people think they are the same too.

Perhaps you may have made that mistake, maybe not in using the word, but in acting it out.

A lot of times, we think what we're doing is adapting, but in the reality, we're conforming.

Adaptability is the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions, while Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics.

When you're adapting, you're being you, while still living well in the environment you find yourself in, but when you're conforming, you're just following the crowd, you're giving up on you and taking another identity and you may end up taking the identity of a lesser being.

If you remember the secondary school lessons on adaptation, you'll know that animals develop certain features that help them survive in their habitats.

They don't change who they are, they're still birds, but if they need to fly out of their current location because of the winter, they do that.

Kangaroo rats survive without ever drinking water.

They didn't stop drinking water because other rats in the desert don't drink water, or because they're no longer rats, they survive without water because they need to.

Adaptability is a skill needed in the workplace to aid business growth. However, conformity kills a business.

Different people are e1zmployed in the same business to carry out different roles that will help the business grow.

Yes, it's the same business, but if everyone conforms, and does the same thing, who will do the rest?

If the person who was employed because he has leadership skills conforms with the rest and becomes and ordinary follower, who will take the lead?

Adaptability helps you to do you, while still working successfully with others.

If you've been conforming to everyone's pattern of solving problems, or answering questions, or relating to customers, now is the best time to stop.

Adapt. Gain the skills needed to thrive in your workspace (field), while still being your unique self.

Your growth is linked to how much you can adapt.

Stay amazing,

Bridget here.

P.S: One of the ways of Not abusing access is to adapt. Adjust to being close to a superior person, while still according them the respect and honor they deserve.

I'll be sharing more tips on Not Abusing Access on the BIG Discussion.

The BIG Discussion is one discussion you shouldn't miss because there's a lot to learn.

So go ahead, and just tap on the button below, and join the discussion.