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The Manifestor's Dilemma: How 'But' Responses Kill The Spark Of Possibility
- Joan Lim
- Oct 3
- 6 min read
Why understanding Manifestor energy in Human Design could transform how your team responds to innovation.
At Vis Magna Academy, we see how deeply Human Design transforms workplace dynamics when teams understand each other’s energetic blueprints. Here’s Co-Founder Joan’s reflection on a moment that perfectly illustrates the Manifestor experience: how one casual “but” can shut down not just an idea, but an entire energetic flow - and why this matters more than most leaders realize
I was walking through Las Vegas when a moving billboard caught my attention. The concept was brilliant in its simplicity - advertising that literally moves through the city, reaching audiences traditional billboards never could.
The spark of inspiration hit immediately.
“What if we tried something like this?“ I shared with excitement.
The response came swiftly: “But this can’t be done. It would cost too much.”
One word. One simple “but” that landed like a weight on my chest.
In that moment, I felt something familiar - the restriction, the containment, the sudden deflation of energy that happens when possibility meets immediate limitation.
As a Manifestor in Human Design, I’ve come to recognize this feeling intimately. It’s the energetic equivalent of a door slamming shut just as you’re about to walk through it.
The Manifestor’s Dilemma
Let me share what being a Manifestor means, because understanding this energy type illuminates something profound about how we all relate to new ideas and possibilities.
Manifestors represent about 8% of the population:
We’re the natural initiators - the ones who see what could be and feel compelled to share it.
Our aura is closed and focused, designed to move energy forward, to spark new directions, to initiate action.
We don’t wait for an invitation or permission; we simply begin (and usually at a pace much quicker than others can keep up with!).
In the workplace, this translates to the colleague who:
Sees inefficiencies and suggests solutions,
Envisions new possibilities and voices them,
Connects dots others haven’t connected yet.
We’re not trying to dominate or control - we’re designed to initiate and then step back, allowing others to respond and build.
There is another layer to Human Design which adds another layer of complexity: Our authority. My authority is Emotional (along with half the population). This means I need time to feel into decisions, to ride the emotional wave to clarity. When I share an idea, I’m not demanding immediate implementation - I’m often still in the process of feeling into it myself.https://www.instagram.com/p/DOG4acCDNP3/
The spark comes first; the clarity follows.
When that spark meets immediate shutdown, the reflexive “but,” the instant listing of obstacles, the knee-jerk move to limitation - something profound happens. It’s not just the idea that gets shut down. It’s the entire energetic process of creation.
The Ripple Effect of Restriction
Think about a child bursting through the front door: “I had the best day at school! We built a volcano and it actually exploded!”
Now imagine two responses:
Response 1: “But did you do your homework? And why are your clothes dirty?”
Response 2: “Tell me everything! What made it explode? How did it feel to watch it?”
In the first response, we’ve just taught that child that excitement should be tempered with obligation, that joy should be immediately balanced with criticism, that sharing possibilities invites restriction.
In the second, we’ve created space for the full expression of their experience, validated their enthusiasm, and invited deeper exploration.
This same dynamic plays out in every boardroom, every team meeting, every casual conversation where someone dares to share what they see as possible.
The Corporate Cost
In workplace settings, this pattern becomes even more costly. When we reflexively respond to new ideas with limitations, we:
Shut down innovation: The next breakthrough idea might never be shared because the person learned their enthusiasm isn’t welcome.
Create psychological unsafety: People stop bringing their full creative selves to work when they know their ideas will be met with immediate obstacles.
Perpetuate status quo thinking: “But” responses often come from fear of change, keeping organizations stuck in familiar patterns even when those patterns aren’t serving.
Drain energetic resources: The person sharing the idea doesn’t just lose momentum on that specific concept; they lose trust in their own creative instincts.
For Manifestors especially, this can be devastating.
Our strategy is to inform others of our actions and ideas, but when informing consistently meets restriction, we either stop sharing (and lose our vital role as initiators) or push harder (and create the resistance we’re trying to avoid).
Authority and the Art of Response
Different Human Design authorities handle this restriction differently:
Emotional Authority Manifestors (like myself) need time to process both the idea and the response. When we share something we’re still feeling into and receive an immediate shutdown, it interrupts our natural decision-making process.
Splenic Authority Manifestors might have instant knowing about possibilities and feel frustrated when others can’t see what seems obvious to them.
Ego Authority Manifestors may push back harder against restriction, potentially creating more conflict.
Understanding these differences can help teams create more supportive environments for all types to contribute their unique gifts.
The Questions That Expand
What if, instead of leading with limitations, we asked questions that create space for possibility?
Instead of: “But that’s too expensive.” What about: “What draws you to that approach? Help me understand the vision.”
Instead of: “But we tried something similar before.“ What about: “What would make this different from previous attempts?”
Instead of: “But that would never work here.” What about: “What would need to be true for this to work?”
These questions don’t abandon discernment or practical considerations. They create space for full exploration before moving to evaluation.
They honor the energy of initiation before engaging the energy of analysis.
Creating Space for Spark
I’ve learned that my role as a Manifestor isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to see possibilities and share them, trusting that the right people will feel called to respond and build. But this only works when there’s space for the spark to be fully expressed before being evaluated.
This applies beyond Human Design types. We all have moments when we see something differently, when possibility lights up for us, when we want to share what we’re noticing. The quality of response we receive in those moments shapes not just that specific idea, but our willingness to continue sharing our perspectives.
The Practice of Possibility
The next time someone shares an idea, a dream, a possibility with you, notice your first impulse:
Is it to protect them from disappointment by listing obstacles? Is it to demonstrate your own knowledge by explaining why it won’t work? Is it to maintain control by keeping things as they are?
What if, instead, you got curious?
What if you asked about their vision before sharing your concerns?
What if you explored the spark before examining the practical limitations?
This doesn’t mean abandoning discernment or ignoring real constraints. It means creating space for full creative expression before moving to evaluation. It means honoring the courage it takes to share possibilities in a world that often greets them with immediate limitations.
The Invitation
The moving billboard in Las Vegas was just an idea. Maybe it would have been expensive. Maybe it wouldn’t have worked for our specific situation. But in that moment of immediate shutdown, we lost the opportunity to explore what made it compelling, to understand the creative impulse behind it, to see what else it might spark.
How many innovations have been lost to reflexive “buts”? How many breakthrough ideas never made it past the first conversation because they met limitation before possibility?
I invite you to notice this pattern in your own conversations.
How do you respond when others share their excitement, their ideas, their visions of what could be?
How do you want to be received when you share yours?
The spark of possibility is precious. Once extinguished, it’s not always easy to rekindle.
But when we learn to tend it, to create space for it, to meet it with curiosity instead of immediate limitation, we discover something beautiful: possibility multiplies.
The greatest innovations, the most meaningful changes, the solutions we desperately need - they all begin with someone seeing what could be and having the courage to share it. Our response in those moments matters more than we might imagine
Joan Lim is the founder of Vis Magna, a global network that has facilitated over $1 billion in conscious business transactions, and Vis Magna Academy, which provides Human Design-based leadership development for progressive organizations worldwide.
Ready to create workplaces where every energy type can thrive? Learn how Human Design transforms team dynamics and unlocks collective potential. Discover more about Vis Magna Academy’s programs designed for conscious leaders who want to build cultures of possibility rather than limitation.
Ready to integrate the missing piece? Your evolution starts here.
Your analytical insights matter. Your energetic design matters. And when you bring both to your work, you might just discover that the workplace can become a space of genuine thriving.
Learn more about bringing Vis Magna Academy's integrative Human Design approach to your workplace here.
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