Adaptability may not equal Achieving ‘A’ in life

    last summer, I finished my first internship which turned my understanding of success.  The company I worked at is a Singapore start-up technology company AFFiNE. What strike me most is the company value “To shape, not to adapt.”

AFFiNE once achieved 20,000 GitHub Stars, cementing its position as one of the most promising all-in-one collaboration tool, Monday, July. 24, 2023. [Photo/Liu Yanxi] 

As students, we're often told that adaptability is our golden ticket. Wayne Elsey, a Forbes Business Council member, also illustrated that adaptability is cornerstone to business success. But at AFFiNE, they challenged this notion, sparking a question that's stuck me “Does adaptability truly equate to achieving ‘A’ in life.”

Initially, I was puzzled. Why would a company downplay a trait that's so valued in the job market? The answer is that adapting means changing yourself to fit the environment, but shaping is about changing the environment to fit you.

Let's talk about why adaptability might not be the fantastic approach to success as we think. Adaptability helps us survive exams and group projects, but it's reactive, not proactive. The world's like a game of musical chairs. Everything's moving so fast that by the time you've adapted to one thing, it's already old news. So, if you're just reacting all the time, you might end up falling behind.

If not adaptability, how do we develop the ability to shape?

The ability to shape starts from reading. Reading doesn't hand you sample answers, but it does show you how sages and ancestors across centuries approached their challenges. They will illustrate how vast and varied the world is.

The ability to shape comes from connecting. Knowledge isn't just about what's in your head. It's about sharing, debating, and sometimes even arguing. It’s those connections that turn your thoughts into brilliant ideas.

The ability to shape comes from creating. With knowledge and connections, you're now ready to create and innovate. To make projects that haven't been seen before. This is where you move from participant to pioneer, from adapting to shaping.

I would like to end my blog with a quote from AFFiNE’s CEO He Jiacheng. He once said, “When the world wants you to fit into a perfectly shaped crack in the wall, why not build your own space and lie in it happily.” If I am always there to adapt, I suppose I will be like a piece of plasticine that can be made into any shape and never be able to achieve an ‘A’ in life.

Dear friends, what’s the most valuable ability you have achieved during your life? Please share with me in the comment area.