Being human doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Wait, maybe it does!
Maybe there is a simple way to understand what being human is all about. And maybe we can call it the human operating system. Or Human OS. And why not? Computers mimic humans, so let’s mimic computers!
I fundamentally believe that we all both deserve and have the right to live an amazing life. And that we all have the potential to live a life of impact. That’s why I’ve spent endless hours studying the human experience - both from a contemporary science and an ancient philosophy perspective - and you know what? It doesn’t matter how you look at it, it all seems to say the same thing. Maybe contemporary science is making ancient philosophy evidence-based! Imagine!
In a nutshell, here is how humans work.
We’re all born with the same 3 desires, 6 emotions and 9 needs.
Then life happens and we become hardwired to want and care about certain things.
Of the universal 9, the needs that were well met in our early years - that we associate the 3 positive emotions with - become what we want in our lives, what we’re passionate about.
Our needs that were least met in our early years - that we associate the 3 negative emotions with - become what we care deeply about. They give us our sense of personal purpose, or said another way, represent how we want to change the world.
When we figure out our passions and our purpose, and then align what we pursue in life with them, we cannot help but feel good about life. And when we feel good about life - when we are intrinsically motivated , energized and inspired - we are much more likely to live up to our potential. To be our best selves. To live our best life. To do no harm, to ourselves, others and our world.
So that’s the formula for being human: Passions+Purpose=Pursuits>Potential
But there’s one more piece to it. Knowing what our passions and purpose are is one thing, living them is another. And that’s where our sage self comes in. We need to train our brains to recognize when our thoughts & actions aren’t aligned with our 3 core desires. The more we recognize when our personal saboteurs have come out to play, the more we can derail them and get back on track to living as our sage selves. If you’re interested in learning more about your sage self and saboteurs, Positive Intelligence (PQ) is a great resource.
In a nutshell, the more each of us go inside to determine how we want to live on the outside, the more we will see, feel and live up to our unique potential. Both for ourselves and those around us. Personally and professionally.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the Human OS and applying it in your own life, reach out to me at heidi@ioi.live.
Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash
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