A propulsion system is a subsystem that enables the larger system to reach where it needs to go. A rocket, for instance, is a combination of many subsystems that have one mission: to propel itself toward a specific destination. I’ve talked about that in my post about success and prosperity as well as made mention of propulsion systems in my other post about NLP and the Fear of Public Speaking.
In humans, propulsion systems exist in a few areas of our mental model including our beliefs, our emotions and our values. However, unlike mechanical propulsion systems, we don’t always know our subsystems very well because we spend lots of time studying things and not ourselves.
In any case, this means that we may install or model or learn counter productive subsystems. For instance, a person may be driven by success and the sense of achievement, but held back by a conflicting fear of rejection. This therefore prevents people from reaching the goals that they initially set for themselves. Likewise, a highly driven person would be able to align their values and capitalize on them. Someone who values achievement (towards value) and at the same time is fearful of being ridiculed for having little achievement (away-from value) will most likely have their values system aligned clearly toward what they want to achieve.
Some people need to discover more about their own values system in order to discover what they are naturally driven toward, and I’ve helped a number of people gain greater clarity in their life by simply coaching them through difficult moments, and helping them realize what place those difficult moments have in their lives.
There’s no such thing as a good or bad experience, only one that helps us understand ourselves and our direction in life better.
