Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative. H.G. Wells, English writer.
Whatever your loss—mother, husband, child, leg, sight, home, health—you must learn to adapt in order to survive and thrive. Marilyn Zosia, cofounder and president of I Am Adaptive, asks that we reframe “disability” as “adaptation.” Zosia, who survived a traumatic brain injury, is empowering a global community of athletes to pursue their unique potential for mobility and fitness.
I suggest that we reframe all loss, not just physical, to encompass the concept of “I am adapting.” Considering ourselves to be “adapting to life without our mother” rather than “I’m so broken, I may never stop grieving,” is affirming our power to adapt rather than giving our power away in exchange for a life of despair. Words matter.
Affirmation: I can adapt.
Coaching questions: In what areas of your life do you need to work on adaptation? Where have you demonstrated success in adapting to life changes in the past?
Life after losing a mother 
When I was in high school, I was at a school that was just starting and I was in the first class. We started as freshmen and never had any students ahead of us to guide the way. We called ourselves the Vanguard Class and had to adapt throughout the 4 years. We were the ones who choose the school colors, the school mascot, the name of the newspaper, the name on the year book. ETC. Those choices are still being used by OCHS 60 years later. I believe that experience helped me to accept change throughout my life. Accept the change and learn to find a way forward whatever happened. When everything is new in front of you, you really don’t have much choice but to adapt. Be at peace with that!
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Great story. Thanks for sharing.
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