Human evolution has always been about survival of the fittest, traditionally it used to be purely physical, when we lived in a hunter gatherer society, having a physically powerful male can mean the difference to a clan that survives to a clan that doesn't.
The modern equivalent to this situation is probably likened to having someone in the family that is well connected and in a career and profession that is respected. His family will never go hungry. Of course, there are still areas of the world where there are physical aspects to be considered, however for the purpose of this article I'll only be referring to developed and modern countries.
It seems like the new secret to winning the evolutionary game is actually what's in between our ears. These days the most successful people in life have the fittest mind. That is what will determine whether we achieve our dreams and goals in life or not.
And I don't necessarily mean fittest mind as in intelligence, we have proven time and time again that the smartest people may not actually be the ones that are in the highest hierarchies in life.
I believe it all comes down to your attitude and your ability to withstand negativity, failure and the way you interpret potentially negative situations. The most successful people I know have the ability to see opportunities in adversity, the ability to push past any challenge, and the ability to pick themselves up after they've been brought down so low, it seems impossible to get up again.
Many great leaders of the world have risen out of psychological (not physical) adversity, and that is the true test to whether you will survive these new challenges "mother nature" is giving us.
If you look at a lot of challenges in modern life these days they are purely psychological. How well do you deal with stress? With verbal abuse? With multitasking. All the tools we need to succeed is really controlled in between our ears.
So how well do you control your mind?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section below!
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Tim Greig, Owner at Green Galah Pty Ltd
Interesting article Wendy,thanks. Of course, fitness is really 'fitness for purpose'. Some people are fit to run a marathon, however they are not fit to run to the top of the Eureka tower (in Melbourne). So in business survival of the fittest is all about the ability to adapt to change, and all the things you mentioned. Really, even 50,000 years ago the ability to survive was more than just physical strength it was the ability of our brain to harness that strength. In truth, nothing much has changed except the arena, and the adaptations our brain has performed. Oh, and Woolly Mammoths have gone...for now.
Wendy Huang, Full Time Blogger and YouTuber at A Custom Blog in 4 Minutes
I miss those woolly Mammoths Tim :)!! You're right maybe we need extra thumbs to survive in this environment. Great comments guy's it's really made me think more about this topic :D Melanie, it's true we've become more sharing-centric and I'm excited to see how that goes :) John, actually now that you mention it it's so true, it has always been about how smart you are as well :)!