Definitions: (1) highly skilled; thoroughly proficient; expert; (2) one fully accomplished or well versed in any art; a master

Synonym: dexterous

Derivation: The term adept was originally used to describe alchemists who claimed to have found the philosopher’s stone or a panacea.

Quote: Success follows those adept at preserving the substance of the past by clothing it in the forms of the future. — Dee Ward Hock (1929-2022) American businessman

Comment: One might have a natural aptitude or inclination for a certain talent, but to become adept at anything one needs to spend quality time pursuing its practical details – often for a very long time.

Definitions: (1) able to adjust to a new situation or environment <by changing one’s behavior or attitudes>; (2) made to fit <a new use>; (3) suitable for a specific situation; (4) to bring one thing into correspondence with another

Synonyms:
     Adaptable implies a personal modification according to changing circumstances; accommodate suggests yielding to effect a correspondence of view; adjust suggests bringing parts or ideas into close harmonious accord; conform applies to bringing patterns, examples, or principles into agreement with some standard; reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible; versatile is the ability to adapt to many different functions or activities.

Familial Qualities: flexible, multifunctional, obedient

Quote: Life is adaptable, ubiquitous, and tenacious. Evolution passes on the traits that are valuable, useful, and increasingly serviceable. — Judith Mary Kain (1948-) American empath

Reflection: As we experience our lives, actively and passively, we also become more adaptable. Expansion comes when we look beyond the confines of the circumscribed environment: from the self, to the family, to the community, to the state, to the nation, to the planet, to the universe.

Observation: In evolution, when change occurs in the environment, the species that adapt to the change have become more flexible and more complex; they have expanded their survival boundaries to more than a single environment.
     The more successful mechanisms (or qualities) are those built on a sturdy foundation. They eventually become stable enough to live on their own.
     Just as physical evolution follows how well a species functions in increasingly complex environments, so too do we evolve on levels of the mind, soul, and spirit by those decisions we make in reaction to our internal and external environments. Because we can anticipate the future, we can also be proactive.

Color: green

Definition: (1) quickness of perception; keenness of mind; accurate discrimination; (2) the ability to make good judgments
     See also: sagacity

Deviation: Latin, “sharpen to a point”

Quotes:
• We can accelerate our acumen, performance, and success by leveraging our associations and spending time with people better than us. — Robin S. Sharma (1964-) Canadian author
• Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people. — Emanuel James “Jim” Rohn (1930-2009) American motivational speaker

Definition: to make tangible; to realize a possibility; self-actualized

Quote:
• The choices we make lead up to actual experiences. It is one thing to decide to climb a mountain. It is quite another to be on top of it. — Herbert Alexander Simon (1916–2001) American political scientist
• To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be. — Anna Louise Strong (1885–1970) American journalist

Symbol: a golden rose

Definitions: (1) productive movement; (2) causing or promoting change; (3) agile, quick, nimble, lively; (4) constantly engaged; (5) characterized by energetic motion; busy; (6) requiring vigorous exertion

Synonyms: alert, assiduous, brisk, diligent, industrious, spirited, sprightly

Balancing Quality: Relaxed

Parental Quality: decisiveness

Familial Qualities: participative, progressive

Consequential Quality: appreciation

Quotes:
• Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German polymath [eight disciplines]
• When man decides, and when he consummates this decision in action, man experiences, and the meanings and the values of this experience are forever a part of his eternal character on all levels, from the finite to the final. (117:5.13) — The Urantia Book {1955}

Analogy: An automobile has to be moving in order for there to be some direction. God can’t help you move in the right direction if you are parked. On the other hand, there has to be a road of some sort. God bless the road builders. You can’t go driving your car into a swamp, you’d get stuck. But if you change to a hydroplane you can continue your journey.

Tip: If you’re worried or unhappy, do something about it. Take a walk, put on some happy music and dance, go to sleep, watch TV – anything. Just do something, and do it consciously.

Comment: Whether we get an idea from something we heard or read, from prayer, or from a random thought; any action taken as a result is the engine of that thought. Action gives thought life. It gives it value. The original thought, combined with our current reality, is a new framework for a new reality. Action is the completion of decision.

Color: red

Symbols: 1) Mars; 2) the sail; 3) the spur; 4) children playing

Definitions: (1) free from error or mistake <especially as the result of careful study or meticulous procedure>; (2) precise

Synonyms: correct, exact

Quotes:
• Trust in yourself. Your perceptions are often far more accurate than you are willing to believe. — Claudia Black (1972-) Australian actress
• Science cannot progress without reliable and accurate measurement of what it is you are trying to study. — Robert D. Hare (1934-) Canadian forensic psychologist

Tip: Be as accurate as necessary, but not less than needed.

Symbol: a bull’s-eye

Definition: liable to be called to report; responsible; answerable

Synonym: amenable

Quotes:
• A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case, he is justly accountable to them for the injury. — John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) English philosopher & economist
• Forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed? — Gloria Jean Watkins [aka: Bell Hooks] (1952–2021) American author, theorist, & educator

Definitions: (1) well-endowed with good qualities and manners; (2) complete in acquirements; educated and polished; cultured; (3) possessing a special skill or ability acquired by training which constitutes excellence of mind; educated; (4) proficient as the result of physical exercise; (5) having achieved a goal; (6) completed; finished; fulfilled; executed; effected

Synonyms: realized, refined

Quote: The only way around is through. — Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963) American poet

Parable: They stood together resting, contemplating the future, remembering with wonder their past. They viewed this place. None had been here before, but it was familiar. They knew they were safe, and they were at peace. There was an effortless familiarity. They were all kindred spirits. This group had reached this present moment with an eye on their individual path; yet none were loners. They knew there were other groups with similar accomplishments who had made it this far by knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and had committed to teamwork. They realized the future goal may be interesting, but they also knew now was forever unique. They all realized there is always more of value to choose from, and to recognize its worth is the first step in making it a part of themselves; only then is it a tool to be used.
     They moved easily here knowing this was the time to recharge, relax, rest, rejuvenate, recreate, and receive new information. The next step was study and preparation for the stage of action soon to follow. They knew the pattern well. They had learned what pace was possible as long as they were aligned with their flow. It was still a temptation to observe those in a different flow, and go too fast or too slow. But it was getting easier to move with confidence into another stream if it was a continuation of their perfect progress.

Affirmation: I give thanks that I am divinely equipped to accomplish great things. — Catherine Ponder (1927-) American Minister, The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity {1962}

Definitions: (1) obliging; disposed to make adjustments in order to comply; (2) able to adapt to varying conditions; (3) staying in line with another’s expectations; (4) adjusting differences; bringing into agreement or accord; reconciling; (5) giving consideration to; satisfying a need; (6) making <an attitude or some thing> fit, suitable, or comfortable; (7) furnishing with something desired, needed, or suited

Synonyms: helpful, serving, yielding

Balancing Qualities: Free, Independent

Quote: If you treat people with respect, they will go out of their way to accommodate you. — Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei (1942-) Egyptian law scholar & diplomat

Comment: We could use the seed as a metaphor. We, as the seed, need to have good soil, water, & light in order to grow out of the shell. But if it is not a gentle growth, there are plenty of crises, accidents, & problems that accommodate the need to grow.

Observation: The universe will accommodate your version of reality – to the extent that it can.

Suggestion: While being accommodating, be encouraging, supportive, and tolerant as well. If the person you are accommodating refuses to grow or is growing too slowly, you may get frustrated. But as long as the person is moving, even a little, be patient and helpful. Comparison to your expected rate of progress is inevitable, yet it may be best to disregard that judgment in favor of assessing their development in relation to their own methods and measurements.

Definitions: (1) approachable; (2) easy to get along with; (3) open

Synonyms: attainable, complaisant, courteous, friendly, sociable

Quote:
• Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. — Charles William Eliot (1834–1926) American President of Harvard
• Empathy is the most mysterious transaction that the human soul can have, and it’s accessible to all of us, but we have to give ourselves the opportunity to identify, to plunge ourselves in a story where we see the world from the bottom up or through another’s eyes or heart. — Sue Monk Kidd (1948-) American writer