So far, we’ve explored the feedback dynamics that govern your system.
But in order to truly master your “system”, you need to understand something more fundamental:
Who is really in charge?
Inside you, there are two levels of control systems operating at all times.
The Biological Control System
(The School of Nature)
- Director: Homeostasis
- Function: Guarantee survival and energy balance
- Language: Feeling
This system exists to keep you alive.
It constantly monitors energy, threat, comfort, and safety.
Its decisions are driven entirely by sensation.
The Conscious Regulatory System
(The School of Humans)
- Director: Focus
- Function: Direction and deliberate action
This is the system that allows humans to do what is not natural.
It uses Imagination to create motivation.
It uses tools such as discipline to convert what feels impossible into what eventually feels easy.
The Analogy: The Wild Horse and the Intelligent Rider
To visualise the interaction between these two systems, imagine that two entities live inside you.
The Horse
(The Biological System)
The horse represents your body, instincts, and emotions.
It is incredibly strong and fast.
It operates based on immediate feelings such as fear, pleasure, hunger, and tiredness.
Its only goal is to survive and conserve energy.
It does not think about the future.
It only feels the present.
Trying to defeat it through brute force is a losing battle.
The Rider
(The Conscious Regulatory System)
The rider represents your focus and conscious awareness.
Physically, it is much weaker than the horse.
But it has unique tools:
- The ability to see a destination beyond the current meadow
- The imagination to visualise future rewards
Its role is to guide the horse toward what is desirable for the whole system, even when that direction is not the animal’s natural impulse.
How Does This Work in Practice?
Consider the challenge of refusing unhealthy food.
The horse smells it.
It remembers the immediate pleasure.
It tries to turn the reins in that direction.
For the horse, this is the most logical decision.
The inexperienced rider reacts by pulling the reins with brute force.
This creates a struggle of “willpower”.
The struggle usually ends in exhaustion or defeat.
The intelligent rider understands that force will not work.
Instead, it uses Focus to remember the destination — health and energy.
It uses Imagination to create a motivational “carrot”.
It visualises vitality.
It visualises pride in discipline.
By guiding the horse firmly but gently, the conflict dissolves.
What was once resistance becomes an easy new habit.
Questions for Reflection
(Listening to Your Horse)
As the architect of your system, begin analysing this partnership:
- Think of a goal you are currently pursuing.
What are your horse’s immediate feelings and impulses about it? - What destination can your rider focus on?
What reward can it vividly imagine to create enough motivation to guide the horse rather than fight it? - The language of the biological system is feeling.
How can you become a better listener to these signals, understanding what your horse fears or needs, and becoming a more compassionate and effective rider?
What’s Next
In the next post, we’ll go deeper into the language of this internal dialogue.
We’ll explore the Feedback System, and how “feeling” functions as a real-time indicator of your system’s state.
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