You Are More Than Your Enneagram Number

Peacemaker

[History – what it is]

Chris Heuertz, author of The Sacred Enneagram, told Religion News it’s a tool that “helps us tell the truth about who we really are, coming clean from our delusions and illusions, so that we can locate the authentic source of our identity.”

I’ve found much of this to be true in my life, personally, but I’ve also found it completely debilitating.

[My experience with it]

Before this, friendly conversation was dominated by Myers-Briggs and the DISC personality tests. I was encouraged to take the Strength Finders test and to consider the 5 Love Languages in my family, dating life, and work relationships.

I found these most helpful for understanding why the people around me respond in certain ways that are abnormal to me. When it came to my own personality type, I found comfort in the affirmation that I’m not alone, but it wasn’t until the Enneagram that I felt totally exposed. The more a person digs into this particular personality tool, the more a person sees their deepest secrets being revealed. It not only explores your preferences or reactions, but your motivation behind your actions and your deepest fears.

Discovering I was a Type 9 on the Enneagram also brought about my counselor friend telling me that “anger is just beneath the surface” for my type. And I began to notice it. I noticed how angry I actually was at a lot of circumstances in my everyday life. I noticed how I stuffed it down and labeled it as “frustrated,” “annoyed,” or “disappointed,” when in reality I was just angry.

This was such a revelation to me that I started putting a lot of stock in the other truths I learned about my type.

I will keep the peace at the cost of standing up for something important or doing hard things.

I will avoid conflict even when it means growth.

I am lazy and have a hard time motivating myself to face the responsibilities of the day.

I can’t make decisions.

I am wounded by the idea that my presence doesn’t matter.

The more I got to know this list, the more unhappy with myself I became. The point of tools and conversations like this one are to dig up unbecoming aspects of ourselves, but to what end? It took me a while to figure it out.

Hint: Point 3 is the most life-changing!

1. Your personality type is not an excuse.

 

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How many times have you said or heard these phrases: . “That’s just the way I am.” “I’ve always been this way.” “I can’t help it.” . We use our personalities types all the time to defend why we act the way we do. Maybe it’s so we don’t have to feel guilty, sad or responsible for ourselves, lives, the hurt we caused or received. Who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️ But what I do know is that our personalities (or Enneagram types) are not life sentences. They are not our “forced” ways of being. The Enneagram is a tool that helps us SEE our autopilot response and then, out of compassion and maturity, choose a different option! ❤️🙌🏼 The Enneagram doesn’t trap us; it frees us! ✨ Tell me in the comments – what’s one thing the Enneagram taught you about yourself that you’re working on shifting!? It’s a vulnerable question, so I’ll go first 👇🏼

A post shared by Kristi | Enneagram Coach (@kristirowles_) on Mar 2, 2019 at 8:25am PST

1. You don’t have to stay this way.

2. You are a child of God.

[Summarize the main point]