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Your DRIVE represents the motivations behind what you do and how you approach it. Developed by Woody Woodward and trademarked by Suladio International, the DRIVE system posits that both positive (dramatic) and negative (traumatic) experiences can significantly influence your DRIVE. This is encapsulated in Principle 4 of the system. It’s crucial to comprehend the role that these emotions play in our lives, as they can substantially shape our behavior and life choices.
The Power of Positive: Dramatic Influences
Dramatic experiences typically result in heightened and predominantly positive emotions. These events serve to reinforce our DRIVE, pushing us towards actions and behaviors that we perceive as fruitful and satisfying.
For instance, consider a person with a Director DRIVE type — driven by freedom, independence, and creativity. Suppose this person creates a piece of art, and it receives widespread praise. This dramatic experience validates their actions and incites a sense of satisfaction, reinforcing their DRIVE to be independent and creative.
Essentially, dramatic experiences motivate us to follow our DRIVE by positively reinforcing our actions and behaviors. The praise and recognition gained from such experiences assert that we’re on the right path, leading to an increased desire to continue in the same direction.
Navigating Negativity: Traumatic Influences
Opposite to the positive dramatic experiences, we have traumatic ones. Traumatic incidents can cause a deep, often negative, impact pushing us to modify our actions and behaviors in efforts to restore self-worth. These experiences trigger a defensive mechanism, urging us to protect or regain control over our DRIVE.
For example, consider a person with an Executive DRIVE type — motivated by control, winning and achieving goals. Imagine that this person is belittled or criticized for their efforts, causing them to feel like they’re losing their grip on control and falling short of winning. This negative experience might lead to intensified resolve to wage control and double down on their efforts to win. The traumatic event effectively stimulates a behavioral shift to reaffirm the Executive DRIVE’s inherent desires for control and success.
In short, traumatic experiences ignite internal change, compelling us to realign our actions with our DRIVE to restore a sense of control and self-worth.
Balancing Act: Drama and Trauma
To summarize, a person’s DRIVE is significantly influenced by both dramatic and traumatic experiences. While dramatic experiences validate and invigorate your DRIVE, traumatic experiences defend and realign your DRIVE. Both create a balance that helps either motivate or recalibrate a person’s actions in line with their internal driver.
Recognizing these experiences as transformative elements of your DRIVE can assist in improving self-awareness and steering personal development. Evaluating past dramatic or traumatic experiences provides insight and understanding into individual motivations, helping to build resilience and promote growth. Awareness and comprehension of these influences can lead to more intentional decisions that align with an individual’s DRIVE, fostering overall personal fulfillment and success.
