"Change is scary," Shankar said in a recent TED Talk. And when we experience a change that we wouldn't have chosen for ourselves, it's easy to feel that our lives are contracting, that we're more limited than before." If you struggle with rigidity when faced with uncertain circumstances, ask yourself these three questions, Shankar suggested:How might this change improve what you're capable of? Focusing on the opportunities you might gain — rather than what you could lose — can help you better adapt to unexpected challenges. But adapting to change can be a crucial life and professional skill — and practicing self-reflection can help you become more open to uncertainty, said Shankar.

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Persons: Maya Shankar, Shankar, Carla Marie Manly, Manly, Warren Buffett Organizations: Yale University, University of Oxford