Our 2nd Behavioural Code® – Diversity, Creativity, Selection, Risk
This Blog is the second in my 7 part series exploring the 7 Behavioural Codes® as identified by Moira Geary, my teacher & Mentor, Creator of QTT® Personal Development Methods.
If you haven’t already done so please go back to the first in the series to understand a general overview of ‘The 7 Behavioural Codes®’ as well as an exploration of the first code, which in many ways is the opposite of this second code.
The first code is all about feeling a primal sense of safety & security, whereas this second code is about risk-taking, variety, creativity, challenge & diversity. We all need a good balance of both these codes and clearly having a sense of underlying safety & security means we are much more likely to be able to venture out & challenge ourselves, take risks, try new things. Without this code being fulfilled it can feel difficult to expand ourselves and grow, when we feel a degree of safety it’s easier to go out of our comfort zones & step into the unknown. Without the ability to do this, we may stay stuck and stagnant, present but unable to move or grow because, in our sub-conscious minds that means we have more chance of being ‘safe’. We can witness this most closely as parents when we experience young children progressing through various stages of development, taking small risks in order to learn how to be in the next vital stage of their lives. I’m sure we all know someone who was perhaps ‘over protected’ by a parent or care giver who was too frightened to allow this healthy growth, and is now restricted in some way by an immaturity?
When in Health, ie all codes being fulfilled, we feel able to make positive, conscious choices in order to enhance our already existing feelings of safety & creativity. When not in balance, there will be a drive, a need to honour this second code, (as well as all the other 6 codes). So depending on each individual person there may be behaviour that gets set up that tries to fill that need in the most immediate way possible. It is often in the form of addictive or anti-social actions centred around needless ‘risk taking’, such as gambling, smoking, drinking alcohol, drug taking or reaching for lots of varieties of food.
This need for excitement and risk can be temporarily fulfilled by these ultimately destructive activities, and then swiftly followed by an awareness of a) the temporary nature of the feeling & b) the ‘cost’ of that temporary feeling either in physical symptoms or feelings of guilt/shame/remorse etc. So inevitably the only perceived way forward is to do it all again & so the destructive patterns of addiction is set up driven by this sub-conscious drive to experience growth & stimulation. It is important to note that addictions can take many forms and are often more destructive and insidious the more socially acceptable they are eg shopping addictions or adrenaline junkie type sports addicts or activities or even repeated infidelity which can be driven by the percieved ‘risk’ involved.
Addictive behaviour is extremely complex and not solely driven by the need to fulfill this second code, a desire to experience self-care or self-love can also drive it as well as a desire to escape or to numb oneself – it is not so much the actual behaviour that is key but the reason driving it. Often the nature of the chosen behaviour will reveal the driver as well as asking about physical sensations of discomfort or pathology, which are often experienced in the mid-tummy or lower back area.
I chose the image of a pregnant woman’s belly for this piece since it epitomises a potentially positive fulfilling of your second code – a belly swollen with new life, potential, creativity and excitement. Other examples would be learning a new skill, creating something, cooking a new dish, changing your job, moving house or joining a club. It can also include travel or even wearing clothing that isn’t your usual style, attending a party where you don’t know many people or going to a networking event. It’s anything that pushes you out of your comfort or ‘safety’ zone, sets up a little bit of an uncomfortable feeling briefly and ultimately is going to improve or positively expand your life. It’s about making conscious choices to do this rather than needing to experience that ‘uncomfortable feeling’ or rush of adrenaline. We all need to have enough safety to know that it’s ok to try something new or something that will challenge or stretch us , and the wisdom to know when we have stretched far enough for our own needs, far enough without compromising us or tipping us into behaviour that starts to become destructive. As usual it’s about balance!
If you feel a sense of unease or boredom or that your life has just got too predictable & you don’t know why, try thinking about whether you are fulfilling this second code in some way – maybe trying something new or meeting some new people or learning a new skill will settle that feeling? If you feel this way often, no matter how many new things you try, it may be that you have some kind of unhealthy pattern running – is it serving you or hindering you? Maybe it’s time to ask for help or support if you want to instigate healthy creativity or risk taking into your Life?