Even the mightiest rivers can alter their course. Even the most massive mountains can erode or shift. Even the strongest opinions can soften. Even the closest relationships can end. Change happens.
Adaptability is our natural capacity to stay balanced in the presence of change—to adjust internally in order to attain the most favorable outcome. For example, changes in our own health or in the health of a loved one might force change upon us, and we must adapt in order to move forward. Our only reasonable choice is to somehow figure out a way to make things work, or face an unacceptable alternative.
Adapting to a new situation is a key expression of an open and flexible mind. In 2020, when we were engulfed in the COVID-19 Pandemic, schools adapted to online lessons, restaurants adapted to outdoor service, medical practitioners adapted to tele-visits, performance artists adapted to virtual concerts, and workers adapted to doing their jobs remotely from home. Some of these changes worked surprisingly well and have been fully incorporated into the post-Pandemic world. Others, not so much.
An optimal state of mind is open, flexible, and comfortable with a variety of situations or points of view, rather than intense, rigid, and closed. From this perspective, changing our mind isn’t a weakness—it’s evidence of openness, humility, creativity, compassion, and receptivity.
From the perspective of the Akashic Records, openness is the inner condition that makes growth possible:
- Openness of mind and heart: an optimal mind is open to a variety of points of view and a variety of circumstances.
- Openness as receptivity: questions give us inner space to receive guidance and grow. As we know, nothing more can be added to a full cup.
- Openness to new outcomes (trust): dictating or insisting on specific outcomes often indicates fear. Conversely, openness to new outcomes and possibilities reflects trust in life, and can thus deliver us to our highest good.
Without a doubt, there are times when our best course of action is to hold steady. Unshakable loyalty, nonjudgmental love, and unwavering commitment can be manifestations of our soul-level purposes in this life, and they can be admirable and positive.
I find that our friends, the HEART, MIND, and WILL, offer a helpful way to analyze any situation to determine whether the greatest good can be achieved by adapting or by holding steady.
The Heart, Mind, and Will are the three corners your Inner Triangle—three equal, essential inner capacities that are meant to coexist in a harmonious relationship through awareness.
- Heart: governs emotion and feeling, and the experience of connection within yourself and with life; rooted in the heart space in the upper chest. “Does it make me happy to consider this?”
- Mind: governs rational thought processes; anchored in the head/brain. “Does this make sense to me?”
- Will: governs action and self-expression in the world. It detects impulses of your Innermost Self and empowers appropriate action—often described as the interface where your Soul’s purposes meet earthly life. “Am I willing to take action—to do what is needed?”
All three work together. A heart/mind approach, or a heart/will approach, or a mind/will approach can all be valuable, but truly incomplete without the third leg of the tripod! When all three are balanced, they stabilize us, help us accommodate more light, and support manifesting our Soul’s purposes through appropriate action.
Our Inner Triangle frees us from decisions that are colored by fear, ego, stubbornness, resentment, laziness, or ambition. Whether we are considering staying on the same path or making major changes in life, our Inner Triangle will provide balance and stability to reach a decision that honors our highest good and the highest good of everyone connected to us.
It is my pleasure to walk with you on this amazing journey, with all of its beautiful twists and turns!