Be the Captain of your Destiny

What if I told you that all you have to do to make a change in your life is to change your environment? In fact, by changing your environment, you can not only influence the outcome that you desire, you can actually alter your biology at the cellular level. Change your environment and change your cells? We know from cell division studies, that if you place identical cells in different environments (petri dishes), the cells make adaptations to their environments. So let’s take the concept of change your environment, alter your cells and apply it to human behavior. If you really want to stop eating processed food, what is the first thing you need to do? YES, take the processed food out of the pantry and replace it with fresh food! If you want to start drinking a glass of warm lemon water first thing in the morning before your coffee, start placing the lemon and mug in front of the coffee maker! If you want to get up 10 minutes earlier in the mornings, put your alarm across the room and not in the same place. Hopefully, you get my drift and your wheels are already turning on what you can do to alter your environment for a healthier outcome. If you want to make exercise a regular part of your daily or weekly routine, then schedule it on your calendar. hire a trainer, hire a trainer with a friend, sign up for a race with a friend, etc. Just stop relying on “willpower” and take responsibility for the changes you so desire by changing your environment!! This goes for your family as well, if you want your kids or partner to stop eating or drinking certain foods or beverages, stop buying them and replace them with healthier options. Kids (& spouses) are amazingly adaptable, even the ones who do not embrace change very easily. I promise I know from first hand experience!

I saw a fabulous video this week on a high school boy who was repeatedly bullied at school. He was depressed, had very few friends, and did not know how to fit in. He decided one day that if what he was doing was not working, he would try something different. So, he started getting to school early, opening the door for all the kids as they entered school and would say good morning to them as they walked in. At first it was a little awkward, but as the days and weeks went on, the kids were all saying good morning to him, giving him high fives and hugs as they walked in, sitting with him at lunch, they even voted him to the homecoming court. His life literally turned around all because he decided to change one small habit – what he did first thing in the morning when he went to school. It’s a powerful story that highlights the idea that we are the captains of our own destiny.

To take the concept even further, you can delve into the study of epigenetics. As Dr. Mercola says, “You are the “caretaker” of your genetic roadmap. The problem is, once you understand that there’s something controlling your genes — that they don’t control themselves but are controlled by epigenetic coding that tells them to be expressed or not expressed — which is completely controlled by your environment and lifestyle — it just blows everything out of the water!”

The habits you form directly correlate to your physical and emotional health (remember my favorite quote, “your habits become your architecture”), so think about one small way you can change your environment this week to change your habits to change your desired outcome. I promise you will not be sorry.