Most existing mobile ad hoc routing protocols preset the parameters for the nodes based on some assumed network conditions. Because of the dynamic characteristics of a MANET, network conditions are changing at different points of time. Adaptively adjusting routing behavior by individual nodes will improve the routing protocol performance. In this paper, we mainly focus on the node mobility, and show the correlation between overall performance and node mobility level with simulation results for three different mobility models. We also study the effect of the mobility from point of view of individual nodes. Finally we propose the number of link breakages as a mobility metric, which is mobility model independent, that nodes can use it to monitor the environment changes