Adaptability - The Human Advantage That Leads to Improved Results When the Goal is to Master Success

The other day my husband purchased a video that was about wood turning. As I watched this skilled craftsman in this DVD share his knowledge (learning from his own mistakes) and wisdom (learning from the mistakes of others), I was very intrigued by how he continually adapted wood turning tools to fit his needs and to work with his ever expanding wood turning experiences.

He would reshape gauges by increasing the bevel to actually making his own tools. Even the chucks to the dowels used to hold the wood on the lathe were subject to his continual adaptations. He modified the $3,000 lathe by adding a foot pedal. All of these changes were to improve his goal to make his job easier as he continued to turn blocks of wood into one of a kind beautiful and functional bowls.

We, as human beings, have the incredible advantage of adaptability not just to our environment, but to the tools that we use to make what we do better. Do you anyone who is always looking to make a better mouse trap so to speak?

For those who are risk takers, they are more inclined to adapt their tools to achieve better results. Sure they may falter in this quest, but they ultimately know that such adaptation will eventually lead them to where they want to go. These individuals do what they have never done before to get to where they have never been before.

I had a client who adapted a goal worksheet by adding an additional sheet of paper in which he made 2 columns. The first one was Rewards to Achieve the Goal and the second was Consequences For Not Achieving the Goal. The existing tool only had a couple of lines for Rewards and Consequences and that was not enough. He had to truly build a lot more emotions into his desire to achieve a goal. By taking such action, he exceeded his goal of increasing sales from 17% to 25% and continues to grow at over $1,000,000 a year.

The other interesting fact within this video was that this master wood turner was continually telling the viewers to attend conferences, to observe and learn from others and then bring all that new knowledge back to their wood turning shop where they can now apply it and potentially adapt it to fit their needs. He understood the potential of self directed learning and finding mentors along with way.

Each of us has the potential to expand our knowledge and increase our performance each and every day. With technology, there are a vast array of incredible opportunities from which to continually learn. By establishing a daily goal to invest 30 to 60 minutes in your own personal development, you will begin to find tools that you can adapt to meet your needs. And who knows, you may even be able to make a few of your own.