Firm and flexible
Anything that is too rigid can be quickly fractured by sufficient force. By contrast, anything that is flexible can experience blow after blow from every direction and still keep springing back into place.
When you're willing and able to bend, you're much less likely to break. By adapting to changing situations, you can successfully make your way through even the most difficult challenges.
Being flexible does not mean giving in or giving up or being any less firm or being any less committed to the outcome you seek. Being flexible means being more understanding, more creative, more open to new and better ways of achieving the results you wish to achieve.
A tree that bends with the wind does not get carried off by the wind, but in fact stands firmly in its location. Flexibility enables you to remain strong, to remain true to your position, and to successfully handle whatever challenges come along.
If you're overly rigid, you may appear strong on the surface, yet any kind of strength that is not willing or able to adapt is extremely vulnerable. Seek to develop real and lasting strength, the kind that is flexible enough to respond to a wide variety of challenges.
Be steadfast about your most treasured values, and flexible about how you express and fulfill them. With a firm will and a flexible approach, truly great things are possible.
-- Ralph Marston
