Does everyone come to earth with the same amount of potential?

          There has always been an argument as to the potential equality among mankind; that since there is no gainsaying the fact that everyone comes to this earth with a certain amount of potentials, do we all come to earth with the same amount?  This is a major concern to many. And, after given a full consideration to our genetic and environmental factors, which can never be ignored in the history of mankind, I have come to realize that everyone does not come to this earth with the same amount of potential.

          First and foremost, the impact the difference in our genetics has on us can never be overemphasized, which explains the mystery behind why twins from the same parents perform differently in the same class and why we choose different careers in life. Our genetic makeups are different. Everyone doesn’t have the same choice. And our choice dictates what we like and what we don’t. That is why everyone prefers one profession to the other. And professions aren’t the same in value. Even people don’t reach the same level of accomplishments in a profession; some still do better than the other. In his time, Samuel Ajayi Crothers stood out among his peers in Nigeria. This doesn’t really mean that all his peers did not do well, but they never had the same level of accomplishment he had in that line of profession. And this reminds me of twin brothers in my class, when I was in secondary school, one of them was very good at mathematics and the other was very poor but good at other subjects. So it is very clear that the difference in our genetics shows that everyone doesn’t come to earth with the same amount of potential.
In addition to the difference in our genetic makeups, where we are brought up and the kind of companies we keep determine how we think and see life, which in return have a significant influence on what we become in life. In a February 2015 Science News scientist result publication titled “Our thoughts are susceptible to external influence, even against our will” Ezequiel Morsella,, associate professor of psychology and co-author of the study at San Francisco State University, said; “Our conscious thoughts seem protected from our surroundings, but we found that they are much more tightly linked to the external environment than we might realize.” This confirms the saying that we are products of our environments. Our environments influence every aspect of our lives; how we think, how we eat, how we dress etc. at the end it influences what we become in life. Therefore, since we are not born and brought up in the same environments neither do we keep the companies of the same set of people, we are bound to have different likes and dislikes, which will ultimately affect what we become in life and also confirms that everyone doesn’t have the same amount of potential.                    
       

Yes  On the other hand, some have taken the stance that everyone is equal and has the same right before God; therefore we are all created with the same amount of potential. So it now depends on how everyone strives to make use of the potential he has is what differentiates one person from another. Although parts of this argument are valid, but there are some deficits in it, which render the whole submission invalid. Being equal before God does not mean everyone has the same amount of potential, since everyone is not made of the same genetic material nor born in the same environment. In an October 2019, Britannica article titled “Variation” the Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica discussed; “Variation, in biology, is any difference between cells, individual organisms or groups of organism of any species caused either by genetic differences or environmental factors. This difference can be shown in our physical appearance, fertility, behavior, learning and mental ability.” So this variation is certain among us, it gives rise to what makes everyone unique and different from one another and at the end, it affects our potentials.
           Undoubtedly, we can all see how the difference in our genetic makeups and environments affect our lives. And considering these factors, as explained above, everyone doesn’t come to earth with same amount of potential.

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What are three things people can do to start changing a bad habit?

       In life, many people oftentimes find themselves engaging in acts which, after a considerate amount of sober reflection, are seen improper or gruesome. They are seen this way because they always have negative consequences, either to one’s health or how one is perceived in the society. We really don’t want to continue with these acts. Surprisingly, we still go back to engage ourselves in them. These acts are known as bad habits. And the three things people can do to start changing these bad habits are to identify the routine, identify and isolate the cue and experiment with rewards.

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​It is often said and well understood that whenever a habit or thing is identified a problem, then it is no longer a problem. Because the first step in solving a problem is in agreeing with oneself that there is one, then the solutions to it can’t be farfetched. For example; In the case of someone that always likes to get drunk, masturbate, smoke, or over eat to list a few, once the doer can agree with himself that this habit is bad, then he has taken a first step in doing out with this bad habit. And these bad habits are also known routines. In a February 2019 life hack publication titled “how to break bad habits” Leon Hoconfessed; “For me, I was sitting most of the day in front of my customer at work in a slouching position. I drank coke every single day in an attempt to stay awake. I put off any kind of exercise regime because I felt that it was better to just relax and have fun after a whole day at work.” This consequently had negative effects on his health; weighty gain and back pains. So, the too much drinking of coke and avoidance of exercises were his routines. Once he was able to identify the habits as a problem, he made a great step towards changing them. Therefore, identifying the routine you want to change is one of the three things to start changing a bad habit.​​​​​​​​​
​Every bad habit is intended to be a temporary solution for a particular situation we can find ourselves as humans orunknowingly created because we see others do it. When we are in a worrisome situation and we decide to choose an unhealthy action as a temporary solution to neutralise or satisfy the feelings, if this action is continuously repeated, then our brain will be used to identifying it as the right solution for that situation. This action will unknowinglybecome our habit. Our brains are like a rough pathway, as it has been said, the more we pass through it the more it becomes wider and smooth. So when we repeatedly practise an act then it becomes a habit. So a situation for which a habit is created is the trigger or cue for that habit. And it is said that science has shown that almost all triggers can be found in the following categories; location, time, emotional state, other people, immediately preceding action. This can be easily confirmed by the confession of a friend to masturbation: He said he used to have the urge to masturbate when he was alone in his room. Being alone his room, in another word, hislocation was his trigger to masturbation. So the second thing to start changing a bad habit is to identify the cue that brings about this bad habit. And once this is identified and isolated, the problem is half solved.​​​​​
​There are always alternatives to solving a problem. Once we determine to change our bad habit, we need to find a good alternative action that will later become our new habit. And this new habit will provide us with the exact results we do get from the old habit. So in finding these alternatives, we should be able to provide answers to the following questions; have I identified the trigger? What feelings am I trying to neutralise or satisfying? Is there any other action I can engage myself inthat will give me the same result I get from using my old habit?  Once these are honestly answered, we will realise that there is always a good alternative action to every bad ones. Mind you, if the first action you choose does not give the result you expect, you leave it and try another ones till you get the one with the expected results. This process is calledexperimenting with rewards. That is, you start trying every available good alternative to find the one that will give the result of your old habit. For example, if loneliness is your trigger, you can try meeting with new friends. And if meeting new friends does not solve it, then you should try other good alternative actions till you discover the one that can give the result of the old habit. We will discover that at end of the experiments we will find a good action, and if repeated continuously, this will become our new habit that will successfully replace the bad habit. Though, as supported by Leon Ho in his publication mentioned above; “Decide on something you will do once you feel triggered to go back to your old habits”. If you continuously engage yourself in this new habit, your old habit will be completely replaced.​​​​​

In conclusion, no matter how obsessed we are with ahabit, once this habit is identified a bad one and we determine to stop it, we will definitely do so. So, therefore, the three things one can do to start changing a bad habit, if followed to the letter, are to identify the routine, identify and isolate the cue, and experiment with rewards, then that bad habit will become something of the past.​

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