What kind of primate are you?

I’m not a fast runner and I don’t like climbing trees, but I can walk indefinitely. In fact, I’m my happiest when trudging up a mountain or walking at a good clip along a flat trail. And the more tired I am, the more determined I become to Just. Keep. Walking.

This makes me a decent hiker and a really good businesswoman because I don’t give up, even if I have to change direction or walk in a circle. And this may be, in part, because I’m descended (as are you) from a long-line of far-ranging, resourceful and independent female primates.

Shift your focus and ask better questions.

Why do humans walk on two legs? Why do those with female characteristics have hips and why do we live longer? It turns out these questions are not that hard to answer when you stop thinking of the male body as “normal” and the female body as “different.” And the answer is: because we evolved to survive live childbirth and protect our young in an evolving landscape and may have led the way in species innovation and change.

While male athletes consistently beat female athletes in contests of speed or explosive power (like chimps), women often prove to outlast men in feats of endurance. Our bodies are better equipped to keep going under periods of extended duress and to convert specialized energy stores into fuel. (I have a brand new appreciate for my hips and the specialized energy they carry btw. 😉)

Why am I writing about this?

Because how we conceive of our inherent strengths and weaknesses impacts how we move through the world and the goals that we set.

Because measuring yourself by the wrong goal posts can make you feel inadequate when you’re actually the longest distance runner on the planet.

Because grit, resilience and leadership are wired in your DNA, regardless of your body type, you just have to know to access it.