Is Your MC Experiencing Balanced or Imbalanced Effects?

We will now evaluate the concept of Balanced vs. Imbalanced Effects. To do this, we need to remember Balanced vs. Imbalanced Processes.

A Balanced Process is when the MC’s love for her Children is balanced with her love for her Cause, so her Sacrifice Process is balanced with her Faith Process. This means she is sacrificing in Balance with what she is receiving.

When our MC’s Faith is Balanced with her Sacrifice, she experiences Peace and Energy. Peace is a feeling of comfort, confidence, and belonging. Energy is a feeling of excitement, motivation, and drive in combination with Empathy for those for whom she is sacrificing.

A Northwest Imbalanced Process is when our MC is sacrificing more than she is receiving or more than she has the Faith to receive. This doesn’t necessarily mean she is off course. It may mean that she must engage in a leap-of-faith Process for a time. But other times it’s because she is running faster than she has strength and trying to do too much too soon.

When our MC has too little Faith for how much she is Sacrificing, she experiences stress, hunger, fear, and anxiety. This is usually a warning sign that she needs to slow down and not try to accomplish everything at once. She needs to engage in foundational training processes before moving onto higher level processes.

But it is also true that there may be times when she needs to learn and grow or push to save the life of those she loves, which pushes her into her NW Threshold. This is still in the Northern Zone, but it is extremely difficult to maintain. There she struggles mightily with her own fears, but learns to depend more deeply upon her Cause.

When her Sacrifice Process pushes her past her NW threshold, she experiences extreme anxiety and fear, and maybe even terror, which is the kind of fear that will cause failure if she doesn’t change her Process.

A Northeast Imbalanced Process is when our MC is not sacrificing at the Faith level she is capable of. She has received plenty of assurance, guidance, knowledge, and direction, but is not moving forward with the Inherent Sacrifice Process. This may be true because other characters in the book are preventing her or are distracting her. She may be side-tracked by another problem or Desire. Or it may be that she doesn’t want to sacrifice and prefers her comfortable position to putting herself in danger or expending too much energy in the endeavor.

When our MC has plenty of Faith and Resources, but is underperforming or sacrificing very little for herself and those for whom she is responsible, she experiences depression, boredom, lethargy, and apathy. This is usually a warning sign that she needs to get up, get going, and push herself (or have a Cause push her) to do something more challenging than the Process she is currently engaged in.

There may be times when our MC has to wait, heal, or recover which bring her down to her NE Threshold. There she struggles with her sense of worth and her desire to do anything. She wallows in no-man’s-land or is in limbo between choices for way too long. Everything is in slow motion and she feels like she is walking through deep mud in her Desire Obtainment Journey.

Going below her NE Threshold is very dangerous and unless she changes her Process, she will fail.

In summary, these are the Balanced vs. Imbalance Effects:

Northern Effects
Peace + Energy = Joy

Northwest Effects
Hunger + Stress = Fear

Northeast Effects
Indulged (overly stuffed) + Boredom = Depression

Balanced vs. Imbalanced Effects are closely tied to the corresponding Balanced vs. Imbalanced Processes, reflecting the harmony or disarray within the MC’s journey.
Balanced Effects:
When our MC maintains a balanced Sacrifice Process aligned with her Faith Process, she experiences the sublime synergy of Peace and Energy. Peace envelops her with feelings of comfort, confidence, and belonging, while Energy fuels her with excitement, motivation, and empathy for her fellow characters.
Northwest Imbalanced Effects:
Should our MC commit to a Sacrifice Process exceeding her current level of Faith, she encounters indicators of unease: Stress and Hunger. These sensations of strain and lack remind her to moderate her pace, avoid overexertion, and ensure her actions are well-founded before proceeding.
Northeast Imbalanced Effects:
On the other end, if the MC has an abundance of Faith and Resources but falters in her commitment to sacrifice, she finds herself ensnared by Depression’s grip—marked by a blend of indulgence and monotony that can stifle progress and enthusiasm.
These Effects serve as profound signals guiding the MC’s journey, subtly influencing her actions, decisions, and emotions along the intricate web of her Desire Obtainment Process.

You said: “…Peace envelops her with feelings of comfort, confidence, and belonging, while Energy fuels her with excitement, motivation, and empathy for her fellow characters.” I would change this a little:

…Peace and a sense of rightness envelop her with feelings of comfort, confidence, and belonging. An intrinsic feeling of gratitude for what her Causes have sacrificed for her motivates her allegiance to them. This Energy fuels her excitement to press forward on her journey with empathy for her fellow characters.

In truth all the Effects our MC experiences are Energy. Incoming Energy from the sacrifices of others for her is experienced as Peace. Outgoing Energy as she sacrifices for others creates a feeling of loss and sometimes pain but because the incoming Energy begins to flow more strongly, the feeling is a paradoxical movement of Joy and life.

It’s like water: If it is stagnant for too long, it does not bring life. But when it flows, it is living, clean, nourishing, and beautiful.

It’s also like muscle tissue: If it is not being used, it atrophies. But when it is used and worked, it grows and strengthens.

When our MC maintains a balanced Sacrifice Process aligned with her Faith Process, a profound sense of Peace and rightness envelops her, fostering feelings of comfort, confidence, and belonging. She experiences an intrinsic gratitude for the sacrifices her Causes have made on her behalf, which fuels her unwavering allegiance to them. This Energy not only ignites her excitement to press forward on her journey but also nurtures her empathy toward her fellow characters.
Indeed, all the Effects coursing through our MC’s experience are forms of Energy. Inward Energy from the sacrifices of others manifests as a serene Peace, infusing her with a sense of well-being. Outward Energy, as she dedicates herself to the well-being of others, may initially evoke feelings of loss or even pain, yet as the tide of incoming Energy grows stronger, it ushers forth a paradoxical surge of Joy and vitality.

This dynamic is akin to the flow of water: If left stagnant, it lacks vitality, but when it courses with movement, it becomes a source of life, purity, and nourishment. Similarly, like muscle tissue, Energy thrives with use and activity, bestowing growth and strength upon the heart and spirit.

And Peace is not always serenity. It’s just the word I have chosen to use to represent the incoming Energy and support our MC experiences. If she thinks serenity is the ultimate feeling and that is her goal (her Desire), then she will eventually find the Northeast Imbalance. The ultimate feeling is Joy, which cannot be obtained without voluntary sacrifice.

Absolutely, your insight is well-taken. Peace, in this context, represents the incoming Energy and support that our MC experiences. It’s a state of alignment, reassurance, and harmony with her chosen path, not necessarily a state of absolute tranquility or serenity. Joy, as you’ve aptly pointed out, emerges from the synthesis of Energy, sacrifice, and devotion, ultimately being the pinnacle of her emotional and spiritual journey. This clarification reinforces the importance of embracing the complexity and depth of the experiences your theory explores.

Thank you. Love how you put that.