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The Enneagram has changed my life. This is a rather profound statement, but it is 100% accurate. It has changed how I look at every relationship in my life both personal and professional. The Enneagram is always in my back pocket when I coach, as it accurately guides me in conversations and allows me insight that no other tool provides. The Enneagram deepens your self-awareness, helping you recognize why you do what you do and how to get out of your own way. It strengthens your relationships, by providing you with a greater understanding of another’s perspective and how to find common ground. It also illuminates a path for growth, enabling you to make more conscious choices in line with your authentic self.
So what the heck is the Enneagram?
The Enneagram is a personality assessment that facilitates a deeper understanding of how you operate when you are at your "best self" and when you are at your "not-so-best self". The enneagram itself has been around for thousands of years and was used as a guide to determine what sin you were most likely to commit. Not until the past 50 years was the cloak of personal assessment nuanced into the enneagram.
We are all born with our type (parents- rest assured that you cannot parent your children to be a certain type). We are born with a sprinkling of our type and develop it as we grow. When we are met with trauma in our lives, we often revert to our worst selves, but as we grow and liberate we come closer to aligning our actions and thoughts with our best-selves. Use the Enneagram as a guide to walk you through your journey. Give the Enneagram at try, I promise you it will be illuminating. (See my go-to Enneagram test below, that is absolutely free).
The Three Reasons I am Obsessed With The Enneagram:
The Enneagram made me feel, well, normal. I always knew I was a bit different than most of my peers. My mom always told me I had a "joie de vie" unlike no other. (She meant, I had a zest for life, and took it to another level). I would try anything. Fly to Asia at aged 21 for a year (pre-cellphone), sure why not? Enroll in law school at aged 27 because I intrinsically knew I was meant for more? Let's do this baby! Have four boys? Sounds like a plan. You get the picture. I was never met with fear when tackling a new idea. And my ideas-if you know me --you know I can't stop the flow of inspiration. My husband always warns people, don't plant a seed with Julie, she will run with it! I just kept doing and doing and I never knew anyone quite like myself. Then I met The Enneagram. And I was happy to find out that, there was actually a description of myself at the end of the test. Post-Enneagram test, I was met with a typology that described me to a tee.
I am the Enneagram Type 7.
If you wanted to know more about me- here you go:
Core Fear:
Being deprived, trapped in emotional pain, limited, or bored; missing out on something fun.
Core Desire:
Being happy, fully satisfied, and content.
Core Weakness:
Gluttony—feeling a great emptiness inside and having an insatiable desire to “fill themselves up” with experiences and stimulation in hopes of feeling completely satisfied and content.
Core Longing (message 7's longs to hear):
“You will be taken care of.”
2. I became a believer in the Enneagram and it's great wisdom when I started using this assessment in my coaching program. After a client took the test, I would explain to them their type. During the conversation, I would be captivated by the look in their eyes. My clients are often captivated as I reveal the nuances of their type. And THE LOOK. The looks on their faces often appear to be stunned, as though I had uncovered a secret. They would respond with, "how did you know this about me"? And they question me as though I harnessed psychic abilities. The simple truth is found in the Enneagram. It has nothing to do with my ability to read their minds. Or so they think.
3. The third reason I have become the biggest Enneagram groupie of all times is that it helps me be a more empathetic human. The profound understanding that we are put on this earth with a certain "type" allows me to navigate relationships in a deeper way. If I have a friend who is quirky, intelligent, and feels misunderstood, I know they are navigating this life through a different filter (and-most-likey a 5 on the Enneagram). I have a compassionate understanding of the complex tapestry that makes us all unique and the Enneagram fosters deeper growth in this self-education.
4. Ok-- I said I had three top reasons why I am obsessed with this brilliant assessment. And as a 7-I have one more. It is a great party game. Take it to your holiday gathering (or non-gathering covid style) and administer the Enneagram. It is a fun way to get to know all the personalities around you. It is a facilitator of connection. It is fun to see faces light up just because they are feeling understood.
Enneagram Resources: My Top Picks
Take the Test For Free:
Enneapp: Have the Enneagram in Your Back Pocket (Literally)
Take a Course on The Enneagram To Learn More:
