05/11/26
STORY
I used to hate avocado.
On my LinkedIn headline, it used to say, “Non-Fan of Avocado”, and people would constantly ask me about it.
Some would be outraged lol.
I didn’t like the texture, the sliminess…it just bothered me.
For years, I would avoid anything avocado-related.
Then one day, my wife and I were out to eat, and she ordered something that had avocado.
I got curious, and I took a bite.
To my surprise, I liked it.
I really liked it.
One thing led to another, and I was ordering guacamole and seeking out avocado at any restaurant we’d go to.
After a few months of my newfound fascination with avocado, my wife said to me, “Baby, you need to change your LinkedIn headline.” 
She was right, because I became a huge fan of avocado.
The point?
We are changing all the time.
Your preferences, views, even beliefs are constantly evolving.
Therefore, it’s okay if you change your mind about something.
Your values, personality, and belief system don’t need to be fixed.
What you’ll find is that if you’re not so rigid, you’ll open yourself up to new joyful and meaningful experiences.
Or at the very least, a love for a fruit that you once despised!
(I had to double-check, avocado is indeed a fruit lol).
OBSERVATION
Researchers at the University of Nevada found that psychological flexibility, or the willingness to adapt beliefs and behaviors in response to new experiences, is one of the strongest predictors of well-being and life satisfaction. Rigidity, it turns out, costs us more than we think.
(Hayes SC, Luoma JB, Bond FW, Masuda A, Lillis J. Acceptance and commitment therapy: model, processes and outcomes. Behav Res Ther. 2006 Jan;44(1):1-25. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006. PMID: 16300724.)
STRATEGY
Challenge your rigidity this week.
If you find yourself thinking…
“Well, this is just the way I am…”
“I’ve always done it this way…”
“That’s just not for me…”
I invite you to be curious about it.
The way you were in the past may not be the way you are in the present.
Open yourself up to new possibilities by challenging the way you’ve always done things.
Be willing to be more adaptable and less rigid.
Rooting for you,
Jay (inviting you to be willing and open to try new things)
Global keynote speaker
Host of the “Unstuck” podcast
Converted fan of avocado