I’m a firm believer that we really do become a product of our environment. Now I understand there are plenty of exceptions to this belief, however it’s hard to argue with stats and facts. And by collating every twin study across the world for the past 57 years, researchers have determined that the average variation for human traits and disease is 49% genetic factors and 51% due to environmental factors.

Ofcourse you can change the direction you are going in life. However that direction does become increasingly more challenging to change if you don’t have a strong support system in place.

And yes, you can change your mindset towards how you approach your career and your personal life. However that mindset also becomes increasingly more difficult to change if you’re constantly surrounded by likeminded individuals who are content with living a status quo life.

What I’m saying is that even though we don’t have to become a product of our environment, good or bad – the majority of us eventually do.

Regardless if you were fortunate enough to be born into a loving family and have a stable and secure upbringing, or if you were born into an abusive family and have struggled both emotionally and financially your entire existence, I do believe that that there is always opportunity to change our perception on how we view our own lives.

We just need to find the tools and learn how to use them in order to start making that change today.

My Environment Then….

I did not grow up poor but by no means did I grow up rich. I had two great parents who both worked hard to put food on the table, pay off a massive mortgage (think high interest rates in the 1980s) and raise two young boys. As hard as my parents worked, I know that they struggled at times. Growing up in the midst of a recession oversaturated with inflation, funds were limited at best. My parents somehow always found ways to make it work though.

No one in my family went to college (including myself). However both my Brother and myself are now doing what we both love for a living and making very good incomes while doing it. And even though neither of us have a degree hanging over our desk, we are both financially secure and enjoy our lives immensely.

I was very fortunate that my parents installed a sickening work ethic in me from a young age. They also taught me the importance of being independent and to not rely on others in order to become successful in life. Education was important however it wasn’t emphasized as to what was most important. Thinking outside the box rather than inside was stressed to us on a constant basis.

My Environment Now……

Looking back now, I think that if I was born into wealth and if things had come too easy for me, I wouldn’t have that sickening work ethic, independence and critical thinking that I have today. In fact, on the contrary I think I would be working at a job that I hate, living beyond my means, drowning in a pool of debt, struggling to pay off student loans, and relying on my parents to help bail me out every time life took a nasty turn.

These days I try to surround myself with positive and ambitious people. I honestly don’t want to waste my time surrounded my negativity and laziness. The successful people in my life motivate me to work smarter and the ones that are able to maintain a high level of fitness inspire me to exercise harder and take better care of my health.

We can’t change where we’re from but we can change where we’re going in life. Cutting out people who are holding us back, turning bad habits into good ones, and building a strong support system that motivates and inspires us to do better, is a good start.

Remember, you can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance