There are many aspects of our lives that impact the direction we go as we progress through childhood and into adulthood. This might include parents, peers, and of course these days, social media. As members of various concentric circles of influence (i.e., family, community, popular culture), it is normal (though not necessarily healthy) to adopt the norms, attitudes, and beliefs of the cultures in which we are immersed.

Our primitive instincts are another part of who we are that affect who we become and the life road we travel. Our most basic instincts, emotions, and reactions have evolved in us since living creatures first climbed out of the primordial muck more than 250,000,000 years ago. The most notable instinct is that of survival, which has served us well since we officially became Homo Sapiens around 250,000 years ago.

Unfortunately, what worked then doesn’t necessarily work now. The survival instinct drives people toward safety, security, stability, and comfort. Though these descriptors sound very pleasant, they are quite antithetical to thriving which requires risk, uncertainty, instability, and discomfort. Moreover, for those of us for whom survival is no longer a concern in our lives, our survival instinct from the past prevents us from thriving in the present and........

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