Human Genetics & Failure

(1-i) Learn Why Ancestral DNA Will Stop You!

Human genetics passed on from your ancestors contributes to your lack of success and resistance to change.

This page could easily have been entitled "Why Change is Difficult."

First, allow me to provide a mini science lesson about human genetics to help understand why you are stuck and can’t seem to make progress with your personal development efforts.

The “deep limbic system” of the brain is also known as your “reptilian brain.” It is the bonding and mood control center of your brain. The limbic system is the seat of emotion in your brain. All of its functions are critical for survival and human behavior.

The “reticular activating system” (RAS) is a group of interconnected neurons not located in any specific part of your brain, although it is part of your limbic system.

Every single impulse - whether derived from thought, touch, taste, smell, seeing or hearing - first passes through your RAS.

The RAS then sends signals to the proper area of your brain for interpretation.

When something important is on your RAS, it sends a signal to the conscious level for your immediate attention.

For example, I spent months looking for the car of my dreams. I found a 2 door BMW that was exactly what I wanted. I seldom ever saw this style of car on the road anywhere. After my purchase, it seemed everywhere I went there was another BMW like mine.

This was simply my reticular activating system bringing to my attention something it considered to be important – BMW cars.

You can learn to automate success by using you’re “reticular activating system” to train your subconscious. (More on this later in another section called “Mind Tools”)

However, if the RAS senses any form of danger or discomfort it sends a signal to the “amygdala.”

The amygdala is also located in your limbic system. There are two of them located at the end of the hippo campus on each side of your brain.

The amygdala craves control and safety by urging you to do what is familiar and safe, therefore avoiding change.

The amygdala recognizes danger and sends a signal to the hypothalamus to release hormones.

Whenever attempting anything new, if you experience feelings such as fear, stress or anxiety, the amygdala (programmed through human genetics) interprets these negative emotions as “danger.”

Then to eliminate discomfort the amygdala stops you from continuing in its effort to keep you safe from the "perceived" danger.

You might know this as the “fight or flight response” or the “fight or flight syndrome.”

Ultimately the “fight or flight” response triggered by any uneasy feelings (nervousness, anxiety, fear, etc.) will stop you from changing, as the amygdala believes you are safe with what is already familiar and comfortable.

It is important to note you might have a bad habit such as smoking and are consciously aware of the dangers. Your amygdala on the other hand has been trained (through perhaps years of repetition) that cigarettes are good for you and necessary when you are stressed or anxious.

Therefore, the amygdala no longer senses the danger of smoking due to your persistent programming that "smoking is necessary" to keep you safe.

Your human genetics is programmed to believe that change is bad. Logically, you could rationalize that if change was good it shouldn’t cause such negative emotions.

By stopping you from changing, your human genetics is just doing its job of keeping you safe from whatever it perceives as danger.

There is scientific data that explains why your subconscious does this.

Genetic memory (DNA) is passed on to you from your ancestors. Your ancestors learned to amplify negative thoughts and perceptions to ensure their survival.

They relied on their ability to constantly watch for and find danger (looking for the negatives) to avoid or if necessary fight.

Your ancestors had to worry about being killed or devoured by predators, where their next meal would come from or where they could find shelter.

These were real fears experienced pretty much every moment of their existence.

They had no thoughts or worries about car payments, a bigger house, more furniture, or more of anything material for that matter.

In reality, situations or problems we encounter today are not usually life threatening and yet our human genetics still cause a running for safety (resisting change) reaction or fighting back if necessary.

This is all the result of how your deep limbic system is processing feelings and emotions, looking for the danger and then comparing the feelings to genetic memory passed on from ancestors.

Imagine yourself attempting to lose weight, quit smoking or achieve wealth. Every fear, worry or anxious thought you have triggers the amygdala to scream out "danger" and stop you.

The limbic system (your Neanderthal brain) wants to keep you exactly where you are now, believing this is where you are the safest.

Your brain works automatically to search for reasons to support negative attitudes.

“Something terrible is about to happen” is your Neanderthal brain talking to you. Accept it and change your evolution!

Why do you save money? For a rainy day! You are ultimately expecting something terrible to happen?

Why not save money to achieve financial independence, buy your dream home, or perhaps go on that dream vacation? Can you see the difference with this train of thought? It is looking for positives as opposed to danger!

How can you begin to overcome fear, worry or anxiety and control your human genetics to make positive changes in your life?

1. When you do anything that is new or unfamiliar, realize you may experience fear or discomfort.
2. If you do feel any discomfort (fear, anxiety, etc.) accept it. Embrace it as a part of you. Do not try to resist the feeling as this only magnifies and intensifies the discomfort.
3. Continue whatever you were doing and work through the discomfort. This re-educates your amygdala to accept change and leave you alone in non-threatening life situations. You are, in effect, breaking the habit of allowing human genetics to dictate your actions.

The difference between achieving success or experiencing failure is successful people learn how to overcome their human genetics to change and grow, accept the uneasy feelings and push themselves beyond the urge to stop and remain safe.

Successful people experience the same fear, anxiety or stress as you, but they are not immobilized by it.

Summary of Human Genetics Research:

• Your ancestors trained themselves to be aware of danger to ensure survival. This effectively programmed their subconscious to look for negatives
• Your human genetics is inherited from your ancestors through DNA.
• The amygdala senses any unpleasant emotions such as fear, worry or anxiety and interprets them as danger.
• Sensing danger, the amygdala then stops you from doing whatever is causing the feelings and attempts to keep you safe. Ultimately, this also stops you from changing.
• You can train your amygdala to leave you alone by acknowledging the negative emotion, accepting it and pushing past the urge to stop.

Once you expose any unpleasant or negative emotions, they lose the power to control you. Resistance has the opposite effect. The more you resist any emotion or feeling, the more you experience it and the larger it grows.

I hope you found this information about human genetics valuable.

Now you have an easy to apply technique for changing the direction of your mind to help you accept and embrace change.

If you're ready to move on, click Intelligence - Change Your Subconscious Program to discover how age adversely affects the brain and what you can do to overcome it.

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