The Expander & The Protector

The 2 Internal Forces and How to Control Them💨

drawing of person trapped inside mind

Have you had a moment when you felt like you could do anything in the world, and there was no limit you couldn’t break?

I certainly have, and it feels great.

However, at other times, you feel like if you step into the unknown you will get “hurt”, so you construct “walls” around yourself and become less receptive to the world and people around you.

These are 2 universal forces that coexist inside us:

One wants to expand — The other wants to protect .

Here’s how you can manage these 2 internal forces and take charge of your life:

Table of Contents

1. The Expander

If you look deep enough, you will find that it underlines everything we humans do:

  • The one who tries to advance in his career;

  • The one who seeks spiritual enlightenment;

  • The one who builds businesses;

  • The one who composes music;

  • The one who paints;

Whatever aspirations you have in life, the universal force that moves you there is the same for everyone:

The will to expand limitless and to the infinite.

I call it The Expander .

It’s the force that allowed humanity to build the technology we have today.

This is where growth and human potential come from.

There is something about us humans that we don’t like “walls” and limitations.

Imagine I put you in a 5×5 meters box. You will feel pretty miserable right?

Tomorrow, I put you in a 25×25 meter box, you feel much better right?

Probably for 2 days, until you find its limitation again.

The next day, I put you in a 100×100 box, and you feel great again right, until… you see where I am going right?

The Expander is the internal force inside us that propels us to grow, and take steps into the unknown.

2. The Protector

The truth is, there is another internal force that is universal to us all.

It is the insist to auto preserve — to “protect” — to stay in the comfort zone — to avoid uncertainty and risk.

It whispers to you: “If you step into the unknown, you will get hurt, and you will lose everything you have.”

It has it’s purpose. It’s the reason we managed to survive 2 million years as a species.

The Protector is survival-based, whereas The Expander is growth-based.

They both have their utility, the only time these apparent conflicting forces enter in conflict is when you wish to grow and expand in some area of your life, but your survival-based internal force doesn’t let you, even though there is no real threat to your survival and well-being.

For example:

You want to start taking dancing classes, something you have never done before, and since there is zero certain on what may happen, tells you:

“It’s too risky, what if you look like a fool, better don’t do it, what if you accidentally invent a new dance move that becomes so popular, and you can never walk into a dance studio again without a flash mob starting?”

Ok. Maybe not that last part.

But you get my point. Sometimes prevents us from growing and becoming better as humans when there is no real threat other than uncertainty and being uncomfortable, which is exactly how we grow.

You may have experienced their dynamics in social situations as well:

When you feel good, you feel more safe, you tend to be more open with the world and the people around you.

When you feel bad, your survival mode kicks in, and you make yourself small, you avoid other people, and you create walls around yourself.

The takeaway is:

Growth only happens in uncomfortable and uncertain situations. will try to stop you from going into the unknown from time to time, it’s natural, it’s human, and it has its purpose. However, you can not let it take so much charge of your life that you don’t give yourself a chance to grow and become a better human being .

Bringing it home

  1. The Expander: The will to expand limitless and to the infinite — it’s where personal growth and human potential come from.

  2. The Protector: The will to auto-preserve and avoid the unknown — it’s survival-based and if not supervised and managed, can prevent you from growing into the best version of yourself.

Choose one insight from today and take massive action on it.

Last week’s newsletter was about 2 strategies to maintain motivation and commitment to your goals.

In case you missed it,  here’s your chance to catch up → 2 weird tricks to keep yourself motivated 🏆

I hope you got something valuable in this edition of Curiosity Fuel, and thank you for reading, it means the world.

It’s always an honor to be in your inbox, until next Sunday. 👋

— Idris Moura

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AUTHOR
Idris Moura

Creator and writer of the Curiosity Fuel newsletter. Exploring my curiosity and sharing ideas and frameworks to fuel your personal growth, without all the bullshit. Read my full story on About Me.

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