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Self Directed vs Random Human

Are you a random human or are you self directed? It’s an important question because many people believe they are in control of their lives and choices. Many people in successful positions believe they got there because of their smart choices or shrewd decisions. By the same token, many people in unfortunate positions believe they did something wrong or failed in life. However, do you realize that seemingly innocuous qualities about you such as your name, your birth order and your height probably have more to do with your lot in life than anything else?

Google ‘Height and Success’ and you’ll find tons of evidence that show tall people earn more than short people and all except a few of our past presidents have been above average height. One article you’ll find is this one which states tall men who were short in high school earn less than tall men who were tall in high school. The verdict? Self esteem learned in those early formative years have a great effect on a person’s chance of success. What does this mean for you?

I believe if you are unaware of the effect randomness has in your life, you will travel through life thinking you have more control than you really do. A great book that drives this point home is “Fooled By Randomness” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

However, I also believe you can stack the odds in your favor. If tall men, who were tall in high school, earn more money than everyone else because of better self esteem, you can wipe out this random advantage through the use of affirmations, positive thinking, NLP or whatever method you feel attracted to.

You can be what I’m calling a “Self Directed Human” rather than a random human. Do better looking people have more opportunity? Make yourself more attractive through mental imagery, visualization and positive thinking.

Do first borns become managers? Wipe out the advantage through mental training. Are children who were older and bigger in elementary and high school because of “cut off” years better athletes than their younger classmates? Mental rehearsing of physical skills can help you overcome the advantages of people born in the wrong months.

Beautiful Thinking can undo the edge random humans have in life. By being aware of the real effect randomness has on our lives you can use your intention in more focused ways to help you achieve your goals.