As a Human Design Projector recognition and invitation is the path to success. But often, projectors mistake attention for recognition. Learning this distinction will create inevitable success.
And, this was a distinction I didn’t even know needed to be made until recently!
With an unconscious 2nd line in my profile (I’m a 5/2), three right-facing variables, splenic authority, and the 57/20 channel, I don’t always know what I know until the moment I know it.
Oftentimes, I will have a big DUH moment when I realize that something I think is common knowledge or obvious is actually a mystery to others.
These DUH moments happen when people ask me questions or when they say something that doesn’t “match” what I thought everyone knew.
Recently, I was having a conversation with one of my friends and I had one of those moments.
In a flash, I realized that there are many Projectors out there that are settling for attention instead of waiting for recognition and invitation. But for Human Design projectors, recognition is literally everything.
Human Design language can be convoluted.
It is no secret that the language used in Human Design can be elusive. The language is often convoluted and can come off with a bit of a “we are all fucked” kind of vibe.
So, it is no surprise that Projectors don’t “get” what it means to wait for recognition and invitation.
I personally LOVE clarifying the language of Human Design. Nothing delights me more than receiving recognition for the way I talk about Human Design. It’s why I created the Human Design Map.
But, as a Projector type myself, I admit, I have a soft spot for Projectors. I’ve ranted about the Projector Invitation before and I’ll probably do it again a gazillion times. Stepping into Projector success has been nothing short of miraculous for me and I want to share what I know.
So, with that, let’s start with a bit of backstory.
My personal story of going from getting attention as a Human Design Projector to actually getting Recognition and Invitation
In 2009, I started my business online as a coach and energy healer. I worked with people in groups and privately from the beginning. I built my reputation as a coach and energy healer.
Somewhere along the way, I became aware of Human Design but, honestly, didn’t give it a whole lot of thought. My Aries rising didn’t like the idea of waiting for anything.
But, after years of studying energy healing and the kabbalah (one of the systems that are synthesized in HD) and a massive spiritual awakening, I saw the Human Design chart differently.
I saw that the Human Design Chart was a map of how energy flows in the human experience.
I started experimenting with Human Design in my personal life.
When I sat aside my first impression of the system, I could see that the healing work I’d been doing actually “matched” my chart. Like so many others, my first impression of what it means to wait for recognition and invitation was a misunderstanding.
And when I looked closely, I could see that Human Design is a massive shortcut to healing the spiritual and emotional wounds that hold us back.
When we are looking at our Human Design chart, we are looking at:
- our energetic gifts
- our purpose (which is spelled out in our Incarnation Cross)
- how to create more ease, flow, and authentic magnetism
- the voice of our soul and inner wisdom, which helps us when making decisions
- our karmic role in the world and what we need to support ourselves in that role
And, when we look close enough, we can also see:
- the exact reasons why we aren’t contributing the highest expression of authenticity to the world (Human Design Gate 8).
- where we are “blocked”
- the exact places where our deconditioning work is
When I saw that, I became hooked.
At that point, I could see that Human Design would make my work as a coach and energy healer much, much easier. So, I started to introduce the system to my clients, and from there, I started sharing my insights with my inner circle.
Eventually, I started to get a reputation for being someone who made Human Design make sense.
Numerous people asked me if they could pay me for a reading. But, I had no intentions of Human Design being my thing and I wasn’t really interested in doing readings.
So, I kept turning them down.
What I know now, that I didn’t know then, was that people asking me for readings wasn’t actually recognition and invitation, it was attention.
With my clients, though, I had started doing “write-ups” about pieces and parts of people’s designs.
And that felt completely different to me. I LOVED it. And they LOVED it, too.
But, I still wasn’t sure I wanted to offer it as a stand-alone service. At that point, I still deeply believed that in order to help others, I “had to” work with them one on one.
A few months later, in the spring of 2020, I got the invitation of a lifetime. I talked about that briefly in my post about Human Design Gate 15 but it felt completely different. It landed in my body differently.
They wanted me to write about their Human Design and didn’t want to work with me one-on-one for the long term.
True to my 5/2 profile, I called myself out of hiding and into the spotlight.
I started to sell written guides about Human Design without any 1:1 work. Those guides have transformed a bit over time; they have transformed into what is now the Human Design Map.
Attention feels completely different than Recognition and Invitation for Human Design Projectors
Human Design Maps were immediately in demand. I had to go on a waitlist the first few times I ever offered them to the public. I was still doing everything myself, the database was only partially written, and I couldn’t keep up with the number of people that wanted them.
And that was BEFORE I was even writing any public content on my blog about Human Design.
But, OMG, did it feel completely different.
Right before my eyes, my beliefs about what success actually meant started to crumble.
I saw that it was actually possible to spend my days…writing. From the beginning, I knew that trading hours for dollars wasn’t sustainable and was a hindrance to my success.
But because I believed that the only “real” way to help people was to work with them 1:1, anytime I tried to develop more “passive” streams of income, nothing worked in any kind of significant way.
And as much as I’ve loved my clients over the years, and I know that it was all part of my journey, when I started making maps, I had to come face-to-face with the success that was unfolding.
Writing is where I feel successful.
The whole process of writing – from the initial inspiration, all the way to the point of completed work – is one of my favorite things to do.
My body comes alive when breaking down concepts and thinking about how to say things more simply.
I am in the flow when l let my intuition do the typing.
There is this knowing inside that I am a clear channel for Fierce Grace (Human Design Gate 22).
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I know that my written words are infinitely valuable to the people who actually recognize my gifts.
And, quite frankly, I also love that all of that happens in my own 2nd line natural timing. I can do the things I need to do to be rested, nourished, and overflowing with inspiration. My calendar isn’t full of appointments and expectations.
It is just me, my keyword, and the Divine working in harmony together.
To me, that is success.
My DUH moment about Human Design Projector Recognition vs Attention
The success I’ve experienced with the Human Design Map has blown me away.
And I don’t mean just financially. Yes, I make amazing money and am becoming a person open to receiving more financial abundance (Human Design Gate 2).
But, more importantly than that, my success is about how I use my energy daily.
Most of my days are filled with creating content for my blog and by adding more nuance and resources to the Human Design Map. I also support map customers on the Human Design Map portal discussion threads.
I have the time, energy, and space to take deep care of myself (emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical). I’m fostering more communication and authenticity in my relationships. And, I’m developing the capacity to be more and more present every single day. I hermit quite a bit and no longer believe that I am obligated to meet every expectation that is projected onto me.
I recognize my gifts and I have the capacity to receive recognition from others without pushing it away.
And, a really interesting thing has been happening…
The demand to work with me 1:1 is insane.
My social media DM’s are also full of people who want to work with me 1:1.
And, my assistant is fielding multiple requests per week asking how to work with me privately. And the way people are reacting to the no is blowing my mind. I’m pretty sure those reactions are related to the double projection field of the 5/2, so, I’ve advised her just to delete the requests altogether.
The answer is no.
When I worked with people 1:1, even during times when I had abundant financial success, the inner success was never there the way it is now.
I truly love my life. And that isn’t something I ever thought I’d be able to say.
No, my life is not perfect, because life is always 50/50.
But I have no intentions of going back.
I was talking about this with a friend of mine.
I told her about an email my assistant got after she told someone that I don’t do 1:1 work.
My friend, innocently enough, said:
“I love that you’re being recognized though! And you get to say no to most invites.“
And that hit me like a ton of bricks.
How attention is different from true Human Design Projector Recognition and Invitation
In reply, I said to her:
“It isn’t recognition, though, because it isn’t my natural gifts, talents, and what most fascinates me. Recognition would be appreciating my writing – investing in my writing.“
That was when I realized that I’ve known something, all along, that I didn’t know that I know. I needed that insight to be pulled out of me so that I could make it clear for others.
Attention and recognition are completely different.
The people who are asking me to work one-on-one are giving me attention. All those people asking me for live readings were giving me attention. Even most of my former one-to-one clients were giving me attention.
And while attention can be lovely, attention alone isn’t what creates success for Projectors.
As projectors, before we know how to recognize ourselves and have the capacity to receive recognition from others, we will often settle for any kind of attention that is in the ballpark of recognition.
And since we are often ignored until someone “needs” our perspective or told just to sit down and shut up, attention can feel like enough at first.
But attention will never, ever, ever hold a candle to recognition and invitation.
True recognition and invitation land in the body completely different than attention.
As I’ve said before, an attuned projector can sense recognition and invitation because the projector invitation is always happening on the energetic level first. (As all things do, lol).
When a projector is truly recognized it will be for their *actual* energetic gifts. It will be for the things that create success for them. And it will be in the form that works best for the projector.
For me, recognition is when people comment about my writing with things like:
“Exquisitely on point, as always.“
“I love the way you frame things.“
“Having it (Human Design) explained this way makes so much sense.“
“I finally get it THANK YOU“
“How can I send you a tip for this post?“
“OMG, this was SOOOOO Good. I shared it with everyone I know.“
And, of course, buying the Human Design Map and engaging on the forums is also recognition.
It doesn’t matter if I have the attention of 7 zillion followers and a thousand requests for 1:1 every single day. Because that isn’t what success looks like for me.
Success is me pondering life, flowing through my days, and pounding away on my keyboard when I have something to say. And now that I have that, there is no way I’m going back to settling for attention and incorrect projections.
What is your definition of success, dear Projector?
I deeply know the pain of not being recognized and invited. The suffering of “close but no cigar” of mere attention is an old friend of mine. of attention. Believing that I will never be seen for who I am really am is like a knife to my heart.
And I also know, from first hand experience and in witnessing the experience of others, that true success is possible.
But you have to know yourself, first. You have to know what your gifts actually are. You have to know what success looks like for you.
Human Design is, of course, my favorite way to get that kind of clarity. And if you want my (written!) interpretation of your type+ strategy, authority, profile, and all four gates of your incarnation cross, the Human Design Map is for you.
But, even if you don’t want to go further down the rabbit hole, you can get there by being honest with yourself about what success actually feels like for you. Even if you only have a glimmer, start there and trust that it will expand as you invest your energy there.
Follow your curiosity, your interest, the things that endlessly fascinate you. Your success is inside of those things. Even if you currently believe, like I once did about writing, that it isn’t enough.
It is enough. In fact, it is the only thing that will lead to true success.
Wait for recognition and invitation for your gifts and success is inevitable. It is your birthright.