The Power of Being Flexible

Ruben Gonzalez
May 12, 2015

Ruben Gonzalez

Incredible Olympic Story - Business Author - Award Winning Speaker

We live in times of constant and rapid change. Because of this, one of the most important qualities you can develop to succeed in the 21st century is the quality of flexibility. Flexibility means approaching life's circumstances with an open mind ever ready to make course changes.

 

The opposite of flexibility is rigidity and hard-headedness. The unwillingness to change in the face of new circumstances. You must learn to be flexible because whenever circumstances change, the person that can adapt first will win.

 

Some people focus on how things "should" be. Things will seldom be as they should be, so focusing on should be's is a waste of time and energy. Should be's are meaningless. The only thing that matters is what is.

 

Whenever you are trying to accomplish something, don't worry too much about how you "should" go about getting results. Focus on whether you are getting results. Is your approach working? If not, change approaches.

 

Be open to new ideas and information. One new idea could literally transform your life. It could make or lose you a fortune. That is why reading is so critical to success. Because in the information age, whoever has the best information and acts on it, wins.

 

There are three statements that you need to start using more if you want to be more flexible. These statements are tough to use but they will save you time, energy, grief and pain. The first one is, "I was wrong." The second one is, "I made a mistake." And the third one is, "I changed my mind."

 

Start using these phrazes and you'll instantly become more productive. Next time you realize you were wrong, you made a mistake, or you changed your mind about something, say so, and everybody will get on with resolving the problem or achieving the goal.

 

It's tough to verbalize these things but if you want to accomplish great things, you need to make a decision to put your ego aside. You see, you can either be right or you can be rich. It's your choice.

 

Admitting you were wrong, you made a mistake, or you changed your mind is not being weak. On the contrary - it's a mark of courage and character. People will look up to you.

 

Remember, the important thing is to reach your goal. If your attitude is one of knowing that there is always a way and there may be a better way, you will eventually reach your goal in the most unexpected ways.  

 

Make it an Olympic Day!

Ruben Gonzalez

Ruben Gonzalez

Want Ruben Gonzalez for your next event?

Find out more information, including fees and availability.
Find Out More
Keep Reading
A leadership TED Talk from Olympian Ruben Gonzalez
Ruben Gonzalez
Ruben Gonzalez
March 14, 2022
It "only"; took me 3 Olympics for meto learn this lesson that helped meperform better ...
The First Steps on the Way to Realizing Your Dreams
Ruben Gonzalez
Ruben Gonzalez
September 28, 2021
One day in February of 1972, I turned on the TV and saw something that changed my ...
Your Focus Impacts Your Results
Ruben Gonzalez
Ruben Gonzalez
September 22, 2021
I started luging in 1984. For 24 years I didn't like the sport of luge. I forced myself to slide because ...
A leadership TED Talk from Olympian Ruben Gonzalez
It "only"; took me 3 Olympics for meto learn this lesson that helped meperform better at 55 than I ever didbefore. A simple leadership lesson anyonecan use to achieve their goals faster. FollowTheLeaderTEDTalk.com
Read More
The First Steps on the Way to Realizing Your Dreams
One day in February of 1972, I turned on the TV and saw something that changed my life: the Sapporo Winter Olympics. After watching the pageantry of the Opening Ceremonies and the thrilling competitions, I turned to my younger brother Marcelo and said, "I'm going to be in the Olympics!"; It takes two types of courage to realize your goals and...
Read More
Your Focus Impacts Your Results
I started luging in 1984. For 24 years I didn't like the sport of luge. I forced myself to slide because the luge was my ticket to the Olympics. The Olympic dream kept me going. And the dream was always in focus. Whenever I was up at the start tower preparing to slide, my heart hammered in my chest, my mouth dried out and my hands were be cov...
Read More
Don't Limit Your Options to What's Obvious
Most people go through life making decisions based on just a fraction of their available options. They hold themselves back because they allow circumstances or other people's opinions limit their perceived choices. By the way, I was born in Argentina. Since this is Hispanic Heritage Month, I looked up Hispanic and Latino because I wasn't sure...
Read More
Staying Positive by Focusing on the Possibilities
Whether I'm speaking for 25 people in a boardroom or 10,000 people in an arena, I finish my speeches by saying, "What are the chances that someonelike me was going to make it to the Olympics?I wasn't a great athlete, I didn't get started untilI was 21 years old, and to top it off I live in hot andhumid Houston and I chose to compete in the lugef...
Read More
What's Holding You Back?
Whether your dream is to lose weight, or to buy your dream home, or to double your income, or to learn the ins and outs of soccer so you cancoach your daughter's soccer team, you willfind that there are things that hold you back. Ninety five percent of people, look at theirobstacles and all they see is a reason whythey can't make their dream a ...
Read More
Feedback, The Breakfast of Champions
Here is a simple thing you can start doing right now to help you improve your relationships, your results at work, the quality of your products, and anything else in your life. Something that doesn't take much time, but saves you huge amounts of time. That something is asking for feedback from qualified people. At the end of each luge run, ...
Read More
The Power of Being Flexible
We live in times of constant and rapid change. Because of this, one of the most important qualities you can develop to succeed in the 21st century is the quality of flexibility. Flexibility means approaching life's circumstances with an open mind ever ready to make course changes. The opposite of flexibility is rigidity andhard-headedness. Th...
Read More
Developing Your Vision to Succeed
All great leaders have two main qualities: gutsand vision. Today we'll focus on vision. You become what you think about all the time.Leaders think about the future most of the time.They think about where they are going and aboutwhat they can do to get there. Non-leaders focus on the present, on the past,and on their obstacles. When you start ...
Read More
It takes a special person to be a leader.
Leadership, whether in a family, in a little league team, or in an organization, requires the same factors. First of all, you have to have the mindset that you want to help people reach their full potential. The leader constantly teaches the people in his team how they can become more successful by contributing to the team's common goals. T...
Read More