How to Thrive in Today's Economy-Lesson 1: The Most Adaptable to Change will Survive and Thrive

The current global economic situation constantly bombards us via the media throughout our day. News of corporation meltdowns, job losses and stock market collapses dominate our conversations. Everything is shrinking, people are hurting and times look grim. When you've lost your job or your house, survival doesn't even look promising to you let alone thriving.

The truth is that everyone has the opportunity in each given moment to not only survive but to thrive. It is all in your mind, what you allow yourself to see and what choices you make as a result of that. No matter how bad the circumstances you are in you can choose to survive or you can become a victim.

Yossi Ghinsberg survived under the harshest of conditions in the Amazon jungle for 3 weeks on his own during the rainy season. He was given up for dead, there was no way a native person could have survived let along a gringo! Well Yossi survived and thrives today due to his experience out there in the jungles of the Amazon. Yossi's exotic experience allowed him to become a creature of the jungle and because of this was able to learn from the forest the secrets of survival. We can take these lessons he learned and apply them to any situation in our life to ensure that we also survive and thrive.

(Due to the depth of content, these lessons will be presented over several articles each day)

Lesson 1: The Most Adaptable to Change will Survive

'Survival of the fittest' is a oft- misrepresented statement of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. It is not the strongest nor the fittest that will survive it is the most adaptable to change. Change is the one constant in our life. Life is always changing, in every moment comes change. It's how we deal with this change that determines our future. It is easy to survive and thrive when you are present in each moment. There really is no change then, just the constant flow of what is and the adaptation to it.

People become so rigid in their thoughts and habits and are so resistant to change. These rules they set up can only lead towards unhappiness. Life can't be compartmentalized and ordered to run in a certain way. It is a force that is constantly in motion and with motion comes change.What happens to you when life doesn't follow your course and your rules don't work? What do you do as a result: Fall apart, fall into depression, drugs, alcohol, or suicide?

Yossi didn't die in the jungle he survived because he adapted to his environment. He became like the jungle. He knew nothing of surviving in the jungle, but he adapted. He looked at the reality of his life around him and he changed so that he could survive his current circumstances. His old rules didn't work and he quickly shed them so that he could learn the new ones to survive and thrive.

In my own life I have always had great revere for the skill of adaptability. Not because I knowingly understood it's meaning in relation to Yossi's explanation although inherently I did. I'm a rare individual who loves change. I hate it when things always stay the same and my life will attest to this fact. I thrive on change and always crave it. It's why I move from place to place, the eternal nomad. It's been through my life experience of constant travel that I've totally understood the importance of adapatability and flexibility. I could be dropped in any country in the world and I could adapt to that way of life and survive. I know this because I've done it and I know how to let go of my old ways and quickly learn new ones. It's the only way to survive in a new place. Writing this now I've finally understood why some people don't want to travel, because they can't adapt to the change! (AHA!)

I see so many people around me so unhappy because the rigid rules of their life are not working or being followed by others. They can't go with the flow, just accept the newness of what is and adapt accordingly. Change is great, change is life. Accept it and embrace it. When you do you will begin to truly live in the now- the only place to live, the only place where life exists.

The current global situation has created massive changes for many people worldwide. Life is not working the way you planned, something has to change for you to evolve. When you evolve you thrive. Where is the world heading now? What can you do to adapt to the new world and to thrive in it? What are you missing because you are stuck in your old patterns of thought and behavior?

What will you do? Continue to have the same thought patterns, do the same things, blame the same circumstances. Or do you look at what the reality is now and instead of resisting it, adapt to it and do something different. There has never been a better time to adapt and so thrive.

How are you evolving?

(tomorrow look out for Lesson #2: Co-operate by creating your own niche)