Episode 221: When Your Human Design Doesn't Resonate with You
“Is it common to feel disappointed or not resonate with your Human Design?”
This was one of the questions that we didn’t get to answer in Episode 217: Projectors Rapid Fire Q&A.
So in this episode, I share:
Why one might feel this way
My initial reaction upon learning what my Human Design is
Questions to ask yourself if your Human Design doesn’t resonate with you
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“The simplest explanation that I can think of is that simply put, your Human Design is the best way for you to use your energy to get optimal results. Whatever “optimal results” mean to you. It’s just the best way for you to use your energy in a way that doesn’t feel like the world is working against you. We’re all so unique, so we’re all going to have different ways of using our energy, and your Human Design is your guide as to how to best use yours. ”
Read the Transcript:
Hello there and welcome back to The Live Fab Life Podcast. I am your host, Naomi Nakamura.
Back in Episode 217, my friend Nadia Gabrielle and I did a Q&A episode on Human Design Projectors. I think we answered about five questions in that episode, but we got so many more.
So, I’ve got a bunch of episodes planned to answer some of the questions we didn’t get to, starting today!
Today we’re answering the question, “Is it common to feel disappointed or not resonate with your Human Design?
While this is not a common question that I've gotten, I have been asked this more than once.
I find the language that was used in this question interesting - to say you feel “disappointed” in your design because to me, the word “disappointed” alludes to thinking that something is better. And so, when we're not the thing that we think is better, we’re disappointed.
I think this offers an opportunity for reflection, an opportunity for self-observation with non-judgment, an opportunity to pause, step back, and think - to ask yourself
Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel disappointed in my design? What about it doesn't resonate with me?
Now as we know, there’s so many different parts of Human Design, there's the aura – our Type and Strategy. There's the nine energy centers. There's our Authority, Profile Lines, Variables - our Determination, Cognition, Environment, Motivation, and then there’s our Definition - are you a single definition? Are you a Triple Split? There’s the incarnation cross, and I know I haven’t done any episodes on Definition and Incarnation Cross yet, but I plan to at some point, but there's so many different parts and layers to Human Design.
And so, what part of your design do you feel disappointed in or what doesn’t resonate? Is it your Type? Is it Type and Strategy? Is it your Profile Lines? All of it? What, and then why?
I've shared in past episodes how I was introduced to Human Design. I first heard about it back in I would say 2017, or 2018, actually think it was 2018. I had a couple of friends who had Human Design readings.
And so of course, I Googled Human Design, found a Human Design calculator, and typed in my information, because I actually did happen to know my birth time.
Then this chart came up and I had no idea what any of it meant. I had no context to any of the information there, except maybe the word “Manifestor”, because of manifesting.
But none of the rest of it had any context. I didn't know what the chart meant. I didn't know what the terms meant, what the numbers meant - nothing. And the resources on the websites with calculators, well the resources they offer don’t speak plainly.
As a side note, I really do try to speak plainly, especially about Human Design, something I haven’t done very well with other topics in the past, and I've gotten appreciation messages from a lot of you thanking me for speaking about Human Design so simply - so thank you for taking the time and reaching out.
So, as I said, when I first looked up my design, it was all jibberish to me, and at that time I wasn’t invested enough to spend a lot of time and energy trying to learn it.
At the time, I was very much into the Enneagram – I mean I've been into all the personality profiles - Myers Briggs, the Love Languages, the Enneagram – so when Human Design came up, I was like, “Oh, another personality profile, let me check it out.”
But unlike the other systems, it wasn't like there was a description that popped up that I could just read it. It was this diagram that required more effort and energy from me to learn and at that time, I just didn't have the time or the interest to put into it. So, I close the browser and tucked it away in the back of my head.
Fast forward a couple of years later, lo and behold, Human Design came back into my life. Rather than try to decipher my design on my own, I booked a reading with someone.
I went into that reading thinking I might be a Generator or Manifesting Generator but also kinda hoping I was a Manifestor. Instead, I learned that I’m a Projector.
Of course, as I learned more about what that means, I felt more seen, understood, and validated in who I am.
But, if I’m being honest, my initial reaction was kinda disappointment.
I secretly hoped that I might be a Manifestor, because of the word. Manifesting was something I wanted to be able to do and I thought that if I was a Manifestor, I’d have a natural ability to manifest.
I also thought that to be a leader, I needed to be a Manifestor. That was my perception of it at that time - that Manifestors are leaders. And while yes, Manifestors are leaders, that doesn't mean the other Types are not leaders as well. If you’re not a Manifestor, you can still be a leader. In fact, in some ways, I’d argue that Projectors, in theory, can be more effective leaders, but that’s a topic for another day.
There’s so many nuances to our designs. We all have leadership capabilities and your design doesn’t limit you.
I can almost hear the rebuttal, “Well, that's not true because as a Projector, I need to wait for the invitation.” Yes, that is correct. That is the correct use of your energy, but that's not a limitation for you.
If anything, that gives you insight. It’s an opportunity to be more creative, and more thoughtful as to how you can go about using that energy.
Here's the thing. Human Design is a framework, a system, right? That's based upon a number of other systems. I've explained it that way. Many other people have explained it that way and in other ways. And we've gotten really complex and verbose about how we explain Human Design.
But the simplest explanation that I can think of is that simply put, your Human Design is the best way for you to use your energy to get optimal results. Whatever “optimal results” mean to you.
It's just the best way for you to use your energy in a way that doesn’t feel like the world is working against you.
We’re all so unique, so we're all going to have different ways of using our energy, and your Human Design if your guide as to how to best use yours.
So, I secretly hoped I was a Manifestor because, I don’t know, we think that Manifestors are so powerful. At least that was my perception.
But I actually thought I was going to be a Generator or Manifesting Generator because those two Types are all about getting things done. Generators and Manifesting Generators are the builders, creators, and I'm all about productivity.
I mean, I live by my to-do list. I have lists in Asana and in Apple Notes, and I get great satisfaction in checking things off at the end of the day. In fact, if I do something that's not on my to-do list, I'm going to write it down just so that I could check it off. And aren’t Generators and Manifesting Generators about getting things done? They’re the creators and builders that make things happen. That's generally how we explain it.
So, when I learned that I was a Projector, I had no context as to what that meant, and initially, it kind of made me sad. But I still kept an open mind to learn more about what being a Projector meant.
But then that begged the question, “Why was I disappointed?”
Well, because I was conditioned, as many of us have been, conditioned to believe that productivity means that we need to get things done as quickly as possible. And if I'm not being productive, if I'm slowing down, if I need to take breaks, if I need to take a rest day, then that meant I wasn’t being productive. It meant that I was lazy, that I wasn’t committed to my work. I wasn’t committed to the thing that I set out to do. And that's bad, right?
That's how we've been conditioned to think. And why is that? Why did I think that way?
Because that's how our society defines productivity, and what it means to be productive. We need to make things happen and make them happen quickly. Right?
I mean, I work in the tech world. I've worked in the tech world for over 20 years and the tech world is all about speed and agility. And if we're quick and agile, we're not doing enough, and that’s not good enough. It’s not productive.
And why wouldn't we think this way? I mean 70% of our population are Generators and Manifesting Generators, who, this kind of perspective is very appropriate for. So, it makes sense that it’s become the general belief in society.
But it’s not appropriate for everyone. It’s not appropriate for Manifestors, Projectors, and Reflectors.
Yes, it’s what we’re taught, it’s how we’re conditioned.
Now I can very much recognize when someone is operating from a Generator or Manifesting Generator energy, whether it’s their design or not.
But now I know that’s not my energy, and so now I'm much more judicious about who I take advice from, what I consume, and who I allow to influence me.
So, it's no wonder that when I heard that I'm a Projector, who needs to wait to be invited and need to prioritize rest, well, it’s no wonder that at first, it didn’t resonate with me. When everything in my life was telling me that I need to be quicker and more agile, that how to be productive and successful…
Well, it’s no wonder that my design didn't resonate with me at first. It did feel a little disappointing.
But I still kept an open mind and my 1 / 3 Profile lines kicked in.
As a One Line, when I'm interested in something I really dig in. I need to learn everything I can about it. And after my first reading, my curiosity about Human Design was at an all-time high. I dove in and learned as much as I could about it.
And as a Third Line, I need to experience things for myself. This is how I gain my wisdom. So, I experimented with my Human Design. I needed to experience it for myself.
So, consciously I tried waiting for invitations and not waiting for invitations; of working and depleting my sacral energy versus taking the more slow and progressive approach with Projector energy.
And I could see and feel the difference. It’s what really helped me to start to understand what it meant to be a Projector. It showed me how I could actually make things better and how I could still get my desired outcome but go about it in a different way – by taking a path less traveled. That there are more meaningful, more nourishing, more self-compassionate ways that I can go about getting things done. And it made life feel easier, I feel more in control because I understand what’s the optimal way for me to operate.
So, if you feel disappointed in your Human Design, or if it doesn't resonate with you, I have some questions to ask yourself so you can practice self-observation with non-judgment.
What part of your design does resonate with you? Is it your Type and Strategy? Why?
Or, why does your Type and Strategy feel disappointing to you? What were you hoping for it to be, and why?
How did you come to form your perception of it? Why do you perceive the Type that you want it to be as being better than what your Type actually is? What are these perceptions based upon? Might you be influenced by external sources? Things to think about.
The one thing I ask of you, as you do this exercise of self-observation with non-judgment is to really keep an open mind and have an honest conversation with yourself. Be honest with your answers.
The final thing I want to say, for today, is that so much of this, as with everything in life, is so much about timing.
I wasn't ready for Human Design in 2018, but I didn't write it off. I parked it in the back of my head and when it came around again, by chance, in 2020 I was ready for it. The timing was better for Human Design to come back into my life. And so, something might not resonate with you right now, but there may come a time in the future when it will.
So, for now, take what you need, embrace what parts of your design, if any, that does resonate, and leave what don't resonate. But be open to the possibility that at some point in the future, it may come back around, and the timing may be right, and everything will just click.
This is all that I have for today. Thank you so much for listening. I always appreciate your energy, time, and attention. And so with that, I will say goodbye for today and see you right back here again next time.
Naomi Nakamura is a Health x Human Design coach who’s creating a healthier society through aligned energy.
She blends a bespoke mix of Functional Nutrition and Human Design to help others shift into alignment to leverage and correctly manage their energy to support their body, mind, and spirit.
She believes that when we embrace our authenticity and lean into our bio-individuality, we naturally live a life of freedom, empowerment, and optimal health.
Naomi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and can often be found exploring the area with her puppy girl, Coco Pop!
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