Sometimes I treat a preference like it’s a principle… (Bamboo vs plastic ruler )

Your principles should be set in concrete.

Your methods should not.

One of the most dangerous assumptions we can make is believing that because something worked yesterday, it will work tomorrow.

Knowledge is expanding at an incredible pace. Industries change. Technology changes. Customers change. The question we should keep asking ourselves is:

"Is there a better way?"

Henry Ford was a brilliant innovator, but even he got caught by this trap. When customers asked for more choice, he famously replied:

"You can have any colour you want, as long as it's black."

His principles weren't the problem.

His unwillingness to adapt was.

When something isn't working, we usually have four choices:

1. Find someone to blame.

2. Make excuses and rationalise it.

3. Take comfort that others are struggling too.

4. Change.

The fourth option is usually the hardest, but it's also the one that creates growth.

I've noticed this in my own life. Sometimes I hold onto a preference as if it were a principle. I become convinced that my way is the right way, when in reality it's simply the way I'm familiar with.

A bamboo tree survives strong winds because it bends.

A plastic ruler stays perfectly straight until it snaps.

There is wisdom in knowing the difference.

Lord, help me to know when my principles are at stake and when it's merely my preferences. When it's my preferences being challenged, give me the humility to listen, the wisdom to learn, and the flexibility to consider a better way. Help me remember that I don't always need the last word.