The Strong Survive

Talent is all but meaningless without the perseverance to use it. 

In 1864 Evolutionary biologist Herbert Spencer coined the term “Survival of the Fittest” in describing natural selection. The term is often misunderstood. The fittest does not mean the smartest, fastest or the one who can bench the most weight. The fittest simply means, those most adaptable to change.

It’s been 6 years since I started DSG Performance. Since then, we’ve come across all kinds of challenges and as with any good business, we found a way to win. In a world where 80% of all companies fail within the first 5 years, business really is survival of the fittest. Now, I’d love to tell you that these challenges most notably in the earlier years were solved by our natural talent or high business intelligence but unfortunately, (especially when first starting out) we did not possess any of these traits. We started with no entries or mentors. I’d venture to say that nearly everything we’ve achieved in our business was acquired by sheer force of will.

That’s the beauty of will. It outlasts natural talent, high IQ’s or owners who inherited their businesses. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in the past 6 years is that you should never shy away from strong opposition because most of the time it all just comes down to who will be left standing in the end and that is just where we excel. Our ability to stay in the ring longer than any opponent has given us far more confidence in our decisions than any intelligence we’ve acquired over the years.

So in that regard, business is just another example of evolution and natural selection. Adapt to change because only the strong survive.