Understanding Human Design
Psychology is complex field. But can human behavior be understood from a simple construct that can help us in the pursuit of our own success?
As a personal coach and business consultant, the discussion of human design permeates the work I do. Not only is a core understanding of why people behave the way they do important for knowing what drives our own behavior, but it is central to understanding how to successfully engage with the world of people around us in our personal lives and the businesses we work in, manage, and own.
HOW DO WE LEARN?
To develop the most simple construct for understanding, we have to start with our information intake system. From birth, our 5 senses are the beginning of the massive amount of data we take in and start using to code our behavior program. But as a child, our ability to rationally think about this information, take purposeful action on it, and intentionally communicate about it are limited. Infants experience pain and pleasure and in their limited intellectual capacity their default programming starts to develop. Avoid pain. Seek pleasure. Use non-verbals to show discontent at pain and physically avoid it. Reach out and pull pleasure closer as often as possible.
THIS IS THE FIRST KEY IN OUR DEFAULT PROGRAMMING
Knowing that our default programming began taking shape under these circumstances, we can realize why we see that default programming popping up continuously in our adult lives. Someone does something that you don’t like? Use non-verbals, angry outbursts, and avoidance to deal with it. Love the taste pizza, donuts, and chocolate? Get it as often as you can.
The way our default programming starts forming is the very beginning of a downhill slide that ends up in victim mentality if left unchecked. Why? Because in reality, as children, we were victims. Life was happening TO us and we had such little control over it.
The fundamental changing point in any of our lives is the moment that we realize that life isn’t happening to us anymore, we are now capable of actively shaping our lives and even deciding how we will react to circumstances beyond our control. This is the beginning of active programming.
LEVERAGING THE KNOWLEDGE
Once you realize that default and active programming exist you can start using that knowledge. You use it in two ways. The first way, is in identifying the programming you are routinely operating on. Are there areas of your life where you are just letting life happen to you? What do you wish was different about your life and what steps are you taking to discover if there are ways you can shape your life the way you want it.
The second application for this knowledge is understanding how to interact with other people. Once you are aware that default programming is in control for most people, you can begin to see how to use that information to get the results you want in your relationship. You either learn to apply the rules of default programming more effectively or you learn how to wake up their active programming process by asking the right questions.
YOUR LIFE OR LIFE’S VERSION OF YOU
Ultimately the most important reason for understanding the difference between default programming and active programming is the choice to be who you want to be. If you stay in default programming, life will shape you in ways that tear apart your happiness and rob your enjoyment of the experience of being alive. If you start coding your active programming, you’ll unlock an enthusiasm and enjoyment of intentionally shaping your life the way you want it to be.
Stay growthy my friends,
Josh