On the Road and in Life..
There’s a lot of talk right now about adaptability.
Employers are looking for it.Industries are demanding it.Technology is forcing it.
But on Friday, I was reminded that adaptability isn’t just a “professional skill.” It’s a life skill.
And it might be one of the most important ones we have.
Friday afternoon, my son and I were driving down the Ohio Turnpike on the way to his regional rock climbing competition in Pittsburg.
Everything was going smoothly… until, of course, it wasn’t.
Out of nowhere—an extremely loud noise started coming from the front left side of the car. The wind was dragging - hard. Instantly we knew “Something is very wrong.”
We pulled over.
What we found - it wasn’t great.
The front left fender had popped out of place. The wheel well was torn and rotated. A screw was missing and where it should have been, only half the hole it would have gone into remained.
Suddenly, what had felt like a straightforward drive turned into, “We're not going to make it to this competition!”
My mind immediately went to worst-case scenario:
Call insurance.Roadside assistance.Tow the car.Miss the competition he had worked so hard to qualify for.Game over.
But my son?
He adapted.
He grabbed his bag of rock climbing gear, got down on the ground under the car on the side of the highway, and adjusted the fender and wheel well back into place, and—no joke—he used a pencil through the missing screw hole and a whole lot of KT tape to hold everything together. Talk about MacGyver!
Not perfect. Not permanent. But enough.
We tested it. It held.
We got back on the highway.
And immediately, we called a dealer in the next major town. They graciously waited for us, got us into a rental, and started repairs while we continued on our journey.
And yes—he still competed, placed 11th… and qualified for Divisionals in May!
That’s adaptability.
Not waiting for perfect conditions.Not stopping when things don’t go as planned.Not jumping straight to worst-case scenarios.
It’s asking:
“What can I do right now with what I have?”
And this doesn’t just apply to roadside emergencies.
It shows up in your health every single day.
When your schedule falls apart… do you skip your workout, or do you do something?
When you’re traveling… do you give up on nutrition, or do you make the best available choice?
When you’re tired, sick, or coming back from injury… do you stop completely, or do you ease back in?
Because the truth is…
The people who succeed long-term in their health aren’t the ones who are perfect.
They’re the ones who are adaptable.
They pivot.They adjust.They keep going, just in a different way.
Perfection says: “If it’s not ideal, don’t do it.”Adaptability says: “Do what you can, with what you have.”
So the next time your plan falls apart…because, let's face it, it will.
Remember, you don’t need a perfect solution.
Sometimes… you just need a pencil and some KT tape.
This week, when something doesn’t go as planned—pause and ask yourself:
How can I adapt?
Then take action.
Because moving forward—even imperfectly—is still moving forward.
Xoxo,
Kim
