EVERY BEHAVIOUR HAS A POSITIVE INTENTION

Consciously and unconsciously, we strive to make the best choices we can, given what we know and have to work with at the point of making the decision.

So, whether we are aware of it or not, all our behaviours or actions have positive intentions. These include seemingly bad behaviour.

Indeed, many self sabotaging and anti-social behaviours have unconscious positive intent at their source.

For example, everyone knows that the habit of smoking is linked to all kinds of horrible diseases.

Why then do some people continue to puff away merrily in spite of nasty looks, banishment from shared space, overwhelming medical research, and burning holes in their pockets?

There are positive intentions behind every behaviour.

Smokers start to smoke for a conscious positive intention (to the smoker). Perhaps it makes them feel cool, or more grown up, or helps them fit in, or flaunt their individuality, or establish their identity, or signifies independence from parents, or express defiance against authourity like school.

Over time, new unconscious positive intentions creep in, like giving the smoker an excuse to take a break from work, or a way to give themselves a little reward, or a way to have some control over strong emotions, calm their nerves, or a way to feel a small sense of accomplishment as a cigarette burns itself up.

How do we spring clean our lives of such old unproductive habits of thought and self sabotaging behaviour?

I’ll answer this with a short story.

One day a young boy was on his knees pulling weeds, one by one, out of the lawn at his home.

His neighbour, a kind old lady, was watching him quietly, smiling.

When she finally got the boy’s attention, she gave him this advice: “The best way to keep the weeds out of your lawn is to plant beautiful flowers.”

So, the best way to keep unconscious intentions from creeping in and cluttering up our mind, is to plant conscious intentions.

EVERY BEHAVIOUR HAS A POSITIVE INTENTION

We are our intentions.

Our intentions shape our choices of our vision, beliefs, values, habits, and actions.

Our intentions determine our choices that lead to outcomes.

This is nature's law. This is the way nature works. We are all subject to nature's laws - whether we like it or not, whether we know it or are ignorant.

There are two kinds of intentions - conscious and unconscious.

Only conscious intentions can produce the intended outcomes for us. Meaning, only if you make your intention conscious either by saying it out loud, writing it down, or visualizing it in your mind, do you then stand a chance of achieving what you set your heart on.

On the other hand, unconscious intentions also produce outcomes but they are more often than not unintended outcomes.

Unconscious intentions are often the culprit underlying bizarre, unproductive behaviour and poor results.

Conscious intention is:

- A stretching or bending of the mind towards an objective

- A determination to act in a certain way or to do a certain thing

- The object towards which our thoughts are directed.

Conscious intentions are just focused thoughts and everything worthwhile starts as focused thoughts.

Everything is created twice. First in our mind as an intention, and then in reality.

Without that intention, there would be no reality. This is true of both conscious and unconscious intentions.

A building is first created in the mind of the architect before it rises into the air.

An airplane is created in the mind of its designer first before it cruises through the airways.

We too are created twice.

Yes, us - we are our most important creation. We are first created in our minds before others see us in flesh and blood.

Our intentions, conscious and unconscious, made ourselves us.

If you want to be the best that you can be, be conscious of whom you are making yourself to be, in your own mind.

Your intention creates your reality, so it pays to know what your intentions are.

Enneagram

The Enneagram system types people into one of these nine types:

 Type 1. The Perfectionist / Reformer

Type 2. The Giver / Helper

Type 3. The Performer / Achiever / Motivator / Status Seeker

Type 4. Tragic-Romantic / Individualist / Artist

Type 5. The Observer / Investigator / Thinker

Type 6. The Devil's Advocate / Loyalist / Loyal Skeptic

Type 7. The Epicure / Enthusiast / Generalist

Type 8. The Boss / Challenger / Leader

Type 9. The Mediator / Peacemaker

Different authours used different labels to describe each type. I have included the labels of the types used by different authours. The slight variations in the labels give us a richer description of the types.

We can assess a person’s Enneagram type by using a simple 2-step system of looking at the person through two personality lens, namely, the Hornevian triad followed by the Harmonic triad.

STEP 1. In step 1, I will assess the person's Hornevian type or social style. The three Hornevian types are associated with the nine Enneagram types as follows:

 

To determine a person's Hornevian type, I would observe and listen out for how he gets his needs met and how he approaches problems:

The Assertive Group, demand what they want. Accomplishment, status and winning replace their inner sense of authentic value.

The Withdrawn Group, disengage to get what they want. Fantasies, thoughts and moods replace their real connection with the world.


The Compliant Group earn what they want by doing the right thing. Rules, beliefs and systems replace their true inner guidance.


STEP 2. I will determine the person's Harmonics type or his coping strategy i.e. his stress response. The three coping styles are associated with the nine Enneagram types as follows:

To determine a person's Harmonics type, I would observe and listen out for the typical expressions of the three types when under stress:

The Escapist or Positive Outlook Group, deny that they have any problems.

The Reactive Group, react strongly and need response from others.

The Competency Group, cut off feelings and solve problems logically.

STEP 3. By screening the person with the Hornevian lens followed by the Harmonic lens we are able to get his approximate Enneagram type quickly.

In this example, we want to determine Angel’s Enneagram type. Let’s say from observing and speaking with Angel, we found that she is assertive.

According to the Hornevian types, Angel is either an Enneagram type 3, 7 or 8.

From our interactions with Angel, we also found that she is competency driven. According to the Harmonics types, Angel is either an Enneagram type 1, 3 or 5. 

Since Enneagram type 3 is common to both the Harmonics or Hornevian types in Angel’s case, we would assess that she is most probably an Enneagram type 3.

Knowing Angel's most probably Enneagram type, we can get more detailed insights into her personality by refering to the personality traits of Enneagram type 3s.

Everyone can use this simple process to learn more about anyone.

Disney Creative Strategy - Critic