Is adaptability an unsung superpower?

I had hip replacement surgery last November – not something I thought would be happening to me at the age of 55. I resisted it for quite a while but screaming pain when I tried to get my leg over a stile, my mountain bike (or anything else for that matter…) and the relentless aching and pain at night after having done even the lightest exercise meant that I eventually came to realise that I was delaying the inevitable.
Six months on and many hours of physio exercises later there are more and more days when I forget that I’ve had a hip upgrade. I was a keen trail runner before the surgery – in fact I’ve had a life long love of running which began with cross country running at school and never really went away. So it’s been a tough decision not to go back to it – because while the physio has said that I could go back to shorter, gentle runs there is something counterintuitive to me about jumping up and down repeatedly on a leg that has a titanium spike embedded deeply with in it... It's not a decision I’ve taken lightly because running wasn’t just a form of exercise for me, it was part of my sanity prescription and a source of fantastic friendship, community and fun.
I’m still trying to work out what it is that might replace it. I think the activity with a lot of joy potential is cycling and so I’ve bought myself a lovely new bike which I’ve named Raven because she is dark purple and although she has a rather grown up sitting position she looks and feels like she really means business.
If I’m being honest I’m still grieving the loss of running so I decided that I needed something worthwhile to focus on as an incentive to get out and build up my cycle and walking fitness. In a moment of bravado I convinced 3 lovely pals to do the *“Dusk to Dawn” triple Challenge in September to raise money for children’s medical research charity Action Medical Research. (Nothing like a 40 mile cycle, 10.5 mile hill climb and a 2 mile paddle to focus the mind!).

The experience of having to give up something I love has really made me reflect on how important the ability to adapt is in life. Let’s face it nothing in life or work stays the same for long and having the capacity to let go of one thing and embrace another feels really key to our success (however we define that) and to our happiness. When I’m feeling philosophical about it not being able to run any more opens up the opportunity to discover something new – to seek out new opportunities and to learn something different. It strikes me that the ability to adjust and adapt to changing circumstances is an unassuming superpower – and something that is really valuable to cultivate. What do you reckon?

*P.S Sponsorship in pennies or pounds for Action Medical Research gratefully received! https://www.justgiving.com/page/glittery-hipsters-1705007894455
#adapting #teamwork #teamchallenge #leadershipcoaching #coaching