One of the things that has kept me stuck in different areas of my life, over the years, is focusing on things that are out of my control and, if I am being honest with myself, are also irrelevant. It’s like the genetic debate. People like to blame genetics as why things happen in their life, and why they can’t achieve certain things. They talk as if they are stuck. We are actually not stuck at all, we just need to understand we get to put on our own genetic make-up.
I don’t want to get into a genetic debate here, I want to make a point. However, there is now much evidence to support the thought that we can change our genetics by changing our thinking, our emotions, our environment, and our actions. In other words, we can no longer blame our gene pool. We all know that make-up doesn’t put itself on, you have to apply it yourself. I hope that by the end of this blog you will also believe that you can and are responsible for putting on your own genetic make-up.
As I am writing this, it is Saturday morning. Every Saturday for me is ‘Muscle up Saturday’. I get up in the wee hours of the AM, jog to my wonderful outdoor gym with chin-up bar, and do at least 100 muscle-ups as I look out over the water. If you do not know what a muscle up is, it is quite a challenging movement, and takes lots of practice and patience. I have devoted many years to getting good at them. When I started, I struggled to do one, now, with breaks, I can comfortably do 100 or more. People are always impressed, but it really isn’t impressive, it’s just consistency.
This morning, three men jogged to where I was doing my muscle-ups and stopped for a drink. I had seen them and said ‘hi’ to them before. They asked me how many muscle-ups I was doing. When I said 100, they seemed impressed. One of them then asked me how old I was. When I explained I was 60, he said, ‘Wow! How do I get your genes?’ In other words, what he was really saying, as I translate, was, ‘you are so lucky that you have good genes. I am unlucky because I don’t have those genes, so I could never look like you and do what you can do’. He just believed that I was naturally able to look the way I look and do 100 muscle-ups. For some reason, I don’t think he considered that to be able to do what I do, at the age of 60, has nothing to do with genes and everything to do with my attitude and my consistent action.
Asking the question, ‘how do I get your genes?’, is like asking, ‘where do I find buried treasure?’ or, ‘how do I find a partner who agrees with me totally?’ or, ‘I have been with this company for 10 years, why don’t I just get a promotion?’ These questions basically indicate that the person asking them is not willing to take any responsibility for their role in becoming healthier, creating wealth, developing an amazing relationship, or getting a promotion. These questions are asked by people who are not buying into the idea that we are responsible for the results we get in our lives, and we get to put on our own genetic make-up.
So, my friend, are you ready to start applying your own genetic make-up? No matter what result you want, and no matter how challenging it may seem, it is available and predictable if you simply take basic, appropriate, and consistent steps every single day. It’s amazing how things can go from impossible to inevitable, one day and one step at a time. The great Australian 1500m swimmer Kieren Perkins was not genetically gifted or naturally talented as a swimmer. One day he set the seemingly impossible task of breaking the 15-minute barrier for 1500m. He explained that each day he trained for that goal it became possible, then probable, and on the day he stood on the blocks to swim, he knew he would do it. He did, one stroke and one swim at a time. He put on his own genetic make-up, because of his effort.
In my podcasts this week, I speak with two superstars, both providing ample evidence that we are not stuck, not unlucky, or genetically challenged, but that we can change whenever we choose to. I speak with Laura Lynn Morrissey on my podcast called Becoming ageless, and Jason Blyth on my podcast called Power to change. Both are inspiring conversations which I hope will empower you to start doing the things that will help you become the person you want and live the life you desire. Just remember, there is no luck in life, you get to put on your genetic make-up.