Wow y’all. I have spent this past week consumed with learning more about the enneagram and it has been fascinating. Whether or not you’ve read all the books, took the tests, or have never heard of this thing, I believe it is a super valuable tool.
For those of you who may not know what the enneagram is, it is a personality assessment that assigns you a number 1-9. Each number is specific to personality patterns and interpret how different people interact with the world around them. I’ll give a breakdown of each number later on in this post.
I first took the Enneagram for a job interview a few years ago. At the time I was a preschool teacher and served in my church nonstop. I was of course diagnosed as 2, which is “the helper”. “Ok, sure, that makes sense,” I thought as I read through how 2’s sacrifice their own needs for others. And this is where I left it for years, not engaging with any more research or curiosity revolving around the enneagram.
That is until about a week ago. To be honest, I’m not sure what made me want to learn more, but I started listening to the “That Sounds Fun” podcast with host Annie F. Downs. She has now had two series called Enneasumemrs, where she interviews a guy and girl of each number in order to gain a better perspective on how every number functions. It is fascinating! I first listened to the 2’s because I wanted to gain a better understanding of the number I was assigned. Through listening to the interview, however, I quickly realized that I may not fall into the helper category. This made me want to learn more! So I kept listening to each podcast, and with every number, I drew a lot of similarities between myself and every number.
Ah! I was so confused. What number was I?! Have you ever had this issue? I felt like I could not be defined, and it was making me crazy. I decided to take a test again. I chose a random free one, and it typed me as a 7. I am not a 7. Yes, I have a lot of qualities a 7 possesses, but I certainly am not an overwhelming 7. I started panicking, until I listened to the podcast on 6’s. Y’all. 6’s shared my soul. It’s like they were talking about me and my internal struggles on a podcast! I was not too thrilled to be typed as 6, because while they are loyal and hard-working, they are also anxious about everything. I do not want to be seen for my anxieties, but I certainly am a very anxious person.
Understanding what number I fit into has allowed me to reflect upon my relationships and how I treat others. It helps me understand why I feel the way I do, but better yet, how to cope with the many anxieties I have. I still have a lot to learn about the enneagram, but the first step of identifying my number has been very refreshing. I plan on uncovering more about my 6-ness through this blog, but I want to encourage you to learn what your number is, too!
Alright, so for you, I put a brief description of each enneagram type below:
One’s: are ethical, perfectionists, and fear making mistakes. One’s desire to be seen as good and have an inner critic that instructs them.
Two’s: Otherwise known as “the helper,” 2’s desire to feel love by offering sincere, empathetic, and self-sacrificing acts towards others.
Three’s: Motivated by wanting to be affirmed or admired, 3’s are often ambitions and competent. They desire feeling valuable and fear being worthless.
Four’s: “The Individualist” – 4’s are self-aware, introspective, and reserved. Fours are often creative and desire to find significance within themselves and want to be viewed with their own identity.
Five’s: Often focused on developing complex thoughts and skills, 5’s are independent and competent. They fear being useless or incapable and are motivated by learning new ways to interact with what is around them.
Six’s: “The Loyalist,” 6’s are committed and desire safety. 6’s foresee problems and often are prepared for any possible scenario by overthinking.
Seven’s: Sevens might as well be called the life of the party. They are extroverted and desire being satisfied and content at all times. They try to avoid pain or being deprived.
Eight’s: are the powerful, dominating type. Very self-confident and decisive, not afraid of confrontation. 8’s fear being harmed or controlled by others.
Nine’s: Known as “The Peacemaker,” 9’s are easy going, agreeable, and complacent. They fear separation and desire to have inner peace of mind.
There is SO much more I could go into detail about! But I thought I’d leave you with a brief overlook at each number so you could get a feel for what the Enneagram is all about. To learn more about each type or take a FREE quiz about what number you are, visit: https://www.yourenneagramcoach.com
How does the enneagram help you know more about yourself? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
Michelle
Nature's not Enough 