Primal Questions and Super Powers

Recently, I heard about a book by Mike Foster called Seven Primal Questions, and it caught my attention. I've always found personality quizzes and frameworks fascinating. This seemed like an exciting chance for deeper self-discovery.

While I’ve seen these frameworks abused to box people in, I’ve often found them to help with self-awareness and understanding for myself and others.

With the Myers-Briggs, I learned about my love of spontaniety and why it drives others mad. (Any other ENFPs out there?)

Using DISC, I began to explore how people and tasks connect. It revealed the shadow sides of my strengths. It also showed why it's important to have team members with different motivations and skills.

The Enneagram was special to me. It helped me feel understood right away. It also laid bare the extremes of health and un-health for my type (seven if you're curious).

With this context I approached the quiz with a curiosity and wonder. I can’t say I was surprised in what I discovered to be my primal question; Am I Loved?

What I did find surprising and refreshing was the core need and superpower.

“Q3’s are gifted at loving and caring for others—and they create safe, loving environments for others to feel seen, heard, and treasured.”

Welp. Maybe I’m on to something? The primal questions framework suggests that when we get a ‘no’ in our childhood to one of the seven primal questions, we tend to seek out an answer to this question in the rest of our life. This core deficit also creates a superpower to help others from the place of our deepest need.

This makes sense as someone who was often called worthless (and worse) as a kid.

I wonder if there are others out there who reel at indifference and a misunderstanding of their motives. I also wonder if my primal question is part of the reason I’ve found myself pursuing the mission of listener…

If you are curious about your primal question, check out the quiz or the book.

If you would like to join me on the journey of becoming a better listener I would love to have you subscribe.