7 Years
If you only want the cliff notes, just read the text in bold.
The average lifespan of the cells in your body is 7 years.
Note: This is the average lifespan, not necessarily the finite end date for every cell. This does however suggest the possibility for the majority of your cells to have been completely turned over, over the course of a 7 year period. This could create a starkly different average.
Think about it, every 7 years is a revolving blank canvas. Have you ever watched a radar? If you have not, the interface is basically a screen that shows a line spinning around the radius in a circle from the center. It is displaying whatever the radar is reading via signal response from the target. It then essentially is a map of the target area according to the parameters you put in it. What you see on the screen is a map at the point in time equivilant to the pace of 1 lap around the circle for the radius. Now imagine this scanning your body at a 7 year pace. You now have 7 years before the next detection comes around and coordinates back to the observer for analysis.
If you desire to reinvent yourself, you literally can, just steer your ship in the correct direction that you feel has a bit of longevity. Changing less every cycle will likely help form a mold that is harder to break; cycle of cycles you could say. Ropes connected with more knots take longer to unravel. However, the bond is also stronger, less breakable.
Greatness is measured in relativity. To determine if something is great, you’re just comparing A versus B and grading. If A is you in the present, then the most efficient version of B to measure against would be you yesterday. This is so given your high accuracy of context and understanding. If you make B a superstar in your field… well then A looks pretty shitty. If you make B who you were 10 years ago, then A looks great; unless your topic of analysis is the color or health of your hair.
Either way you look at it, there will be discrepancies in determining what is good or bad; what is to be kept or dispensed of. You will struggle to weight each attribute of A. The weighted average is more fair I’d say than the median or the average itself. But at the end of each day, weights are usually assigned subjectively… So basically, A is not B and B is not A. Subjectivity is required, and to be honest I think I like that. Subjectivity requires you to form your own opinion without full data and practice creatitvity. Deeming something good or bad can be difficult at times and exhausting, but during the transformation of oneself, everything is subjective.
I’ve written about this before, how our brains can only handle two variables at any given time. A simple example, reiterated, is that when you do this equation: 2+2+2, you get 6 by quickly adding the first 2 into 4 then 4 plus 2… if you didn’t do this then please call me and teach me your ways.
The problem in my previous internal logic was that it stopped with that equation. When we compare A to B, we come to a conclusion. However, when we throw in a C and a D we only improve our analysis and further understand more features of what may make something good or bad; what to keep versus what is to be dispensed of. However, each variable in it of itself has limitless variables to consider as well.
Was B on a sunny day where I was working and had a date? Is A on a gloomy weekend day where I’ve got no agenda and alone time? Comparing A to B here may be difficult to process.
I don’t mean to exhaust you by trying to disprove myself over and over again, rather am trying to display how important it is to think through this when making judgements of yourself during your transformation process. This will enable you to make the most informed, well thought judgement for what is good versus what is bad. When you look at A compared to B consider this tactic. Keep the good, dispense of the bad.
There are endless segmentations and ways to go down this rabbit hole. To get out of the way and back to the topic, asking yourself where you want to be in 5–7 years will allow you create that point B for yourself. Even though yesterday may be a more efficient B to analyze in the context of A, maybe instead use it as the basis for a new forecasted point B. Use who you were yesterday to then inject some steroids for the greater version of who you want to transform into in 5–7 years.
Even if you woke up in a trench yesterday, you can’t change what happened. That’s where you start from in your goals, because yesterday is likely the most clear full picture of a day you’ll ever have. Luckily for that person, B is pretty easy to improve upon. For that person, they understand very clearly that any direction that is different is upwards. The analysis is easy, the grind is all that is left.
When you reflect on yesterday, are you at least just not worse than you were yesterday? At best get better, at worst just don’t get worse. If so, then your forecasted 5–7 year point B will be built on an optimistic trendline. If you get worse, you will likely be pessimistic in your goal setting. When you are hungover, you are much more likely to feel drastic pessimism about who you were yesterday, thus if asked to forecast 5–7 years in the future you’d probably deny the request in shame or joking say something like, “not hungover.” You get the point. This will stabilize your ability to set goals and aim upward.
Lastly consider that as everyday passes, 7 years in the future is also progressing 1 day into the future. So, by dating your goals you can judge your pace. In simpler terms, if you write down 7 year goals everyday for 14 years and have those goals attached to today’s date in 7 years you will then have 7 years of evidence to your ability to transform yourself. In 7 years, will I daily continue to write my 7 year forecasted version of myself? Will I do this while now also being able to compare what I forecasted 7 years ago to what is actual today? If so, after 7 years of this (end of year 14), I will have 7 years of forecasted versus actual data. Change the timeline if you’d like.
Empowered or confused?
If empowered no need to read more… or is there? Confused… I am a bit also, but that’s kind of the point. We never have 100% clarity on anything in my opinion.
The essence of this post points to the fact that the cell regeneration cycle does in fact exist and proves that we are physically transforming every 7 years. If you are fortunate enough to be given fresh opportunities, steward them well. The crazy relevance here is that we are the ones who get to determine whether or not we view each day as a new opportunity. To be great, make the cycle efficient and productive for yourself. Simple enough I’d say.
One last thought. Simple and difficult are not opposites… Simple just means that it can be explained in widely understood language. I’ve had it explained very clearly on how to hit a perfect drive in golf, yet I can’t seem to replicate it with solid consistency. I know the instruction was valid because of the cases where I replicated it perfectly and the result was ideal. I know it is difficult, because I cannot seem to translate it to action with any consistency. The only way to decrease difficulty is to practice… practice literally is the practice of transforming yourself into a better version of yourself in the dedicated area.
Recap:
- Realize that reinvention is naturally possible
- Be thorough when deeming something good or bad
- Be aware of how yesterday may be skewing your goals (use this positively and compoundingly)
- Because simple doesn’t mean easy, prepare to practice
I think that makes sense. Do you?
-JW