The Designer

We are self-determined and free to make our own decisions. Our driving forces pull us in different directions, each of which is vital to our survival. Everyone has conflicting basic needs. These natural conflicts are the prerequisite for self-control.

Enforcement wants us to grow and progress in life. If we are slowed down, we put our foot down. This can be dangerous. Our safety needs want to ensure that nothing happens to us.

Rationality seeks truth, sense and logical connections. But life is too complex to be able to calculate the effects of our actions. We need empathy to be able to empathize.

Recognition wants us to draw attention to ourselves. We want to be special. But a star on stage is alone. The need to belong wants us to fit in and integrate. We need our fellow human beings.

Every personality sets its own priorities, usually from birth. For the designer, enforcement and empathy are most important.

We can imagine how these inner forces wrestle with each other to decide what is best for us in which situation. They take on designer form in our fantasy world. We can imagine powerful gods sitting together at a big table and discussing with each other.

The bosses are enforcement (red) and empathy (white). Enforcement finds it good to have rationality (black) at his side because he can think logically and find ways to reach his goal. Empathy may relate to his fellow human beings. He needs closeness and belonging (yellow) provides this. These four therefore form the core team. In their lively discussions, they sometimes overlook recognition (blue) and safety (green).

**A designer wants to create something beautiful. The inner team could look like this:

• Red (enforcement) has a desire for adventure and new things.
• White (empathy) feels the effects.
• Yellow (belonging) communicates the ideas.
• Black (rationality) analyzes the feasibility.

A division of tasks is not yet an agreement. These ‘deities’ in our soul do not allow themselves to be told what to do, not even by the need to assert themselves.

**How do recognition and safety react? Recognition says: “If you want to come into your own, you have to somehow set yourself apart from others. You have to take care of yourself (this starts shortly after birth with vigorous crying) and show that “you are there.”

Safety adds: “Everything new involves risks. If you put yourself in danger, you will die. If you don’t take care of your own life, you will quickly lose it. You have to be vigilant and cautious if you want to get through life in one piece.”

The designer is confused by these conflicting voices and moods. He realizes that he must ensure inner balance.

**If the inner team wants to agree on common paths, it needs an attractive vision that everyone agrees with.

A future scenario is sought with which all six opposing basic needs are satisfied and which fits the personality.

Which topics are attractive to the designer’s inner team so that they can tune into them?

Body (beauty, movement …) Soul (harmony, supporter …) Spirit (art, faith …)

Past (history, experiences …) Present (being awake, sensing …) Future (imagination, visions …)

Individual (wellness, fitness …) Partner (closeness, love …) Group (sport, peace …)

So we can imagine scenarios and see what could inspire us, for example spirit future group:

Artistic representation of visions of the future for the peaceful coexistence of people.

What the designer chooses depends on his previous experience and what he simply enjoys doing. Perhaps he wants to start a small business that helps interested people with their garden design and supplies them with suitable plants. These or other ideas are often unconsciously generated in our dreams and discussed in our inner team.

Our dream level asks: Do you agree?

Enforcement: Yes. It’s something new and an exciting challenge. Empathy: Yes. It allows us to give our customers something beautiful that will bring them joy.

Rationality: Yes. The topic is exciting and makes sense. It can be realized. Belonging: Yes. We will be able to integrate many experts and make friends.

Safety: I agree, if we also pay attention to long-term feasibility. Recognition: Yes. We will create something special if we pay attention to the quality of our work.

The better we succeed in integrating all emotional aspects, i.e. all conflicting basic needs, into this idea, the more we feel the enthusiasm within us. The entire emotional world is behind us. We are carried by positive emotions. It will be a joy to set out and achieve this goal.

It makes sense and promises success if we use the entire inner team, because in this way we avoid resistance and, on the contrary, all the different areas of experience and perspectives with their complementary skills are available to us.   …