I am 100% serious about this.
Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love the Enneagram.
I've read one of many books about it (and definitely want to read more), I listen to a few different podcasts about it pretty consistently (and on occasion send them to my friends in the hopes that they'll listen to it because I thought it would apply to them when I was listening to it), and I've asked several people to take the free Enneagram test (because money) so that they'd know their type, which would maybe get them started with exploring the Enneagram on their own.
I'm not ashamed any of this or about how I've promoted/suggested the Enneagram to people because I believe in its unique and inherent ability to help people grow and learn about themselves, because that's what it has done, and CONTINUES to do, for me.
And no, for those of you who are cynics and skeptics, the Enneagram is NOT some psychology-based astrology or introspective mumbo-jumbo.
The Enneagram Institute (yes that is a real thing) has an entire page consisting of the known history of the Enneagram, which you can read at your convenience (and I highly encourage you to do so if you're curious or skeptical about it) here.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Enneagram, let me explain it how I've come to understand what the Enneagram is through studying it. The basic gist of the Enneagram is that it is a typing system for personalities. It is THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD, and in my opinion, it is SO STINKIN' COOL because it tells you a few things that other kinds of personality tests floating around in the world simply don't do because they aren't designed to.
So no, it is not like the Myers-Briggs, at all. However, when it comes to the Myers-Briggs, I will say that I do find value in this test, but I've come to understand that it's more of a way to explain and identify HOW you behave in certain situations and WHAT your behavioral tendencies are.
What the Myers-Briggs doesn't do (and THIS is important to pay attention to, people) is tell you the WHY, or the MOTIVATIONS, that are underlying your actions, thoughts, and behavior patterns, and the Enneagram identifies the "why" with such accuracy that (and I freely admit this) it can be a little painful at times.
Example; once, when I was in my car driving home to Waco from the DFW area, I put on a podcast by Ian Morgan Cron called "Typology" (which I HIGHLY recommend). I had listened to a lot of his podcast episodes before that contained interviews with people who identified as the same number as me on the Enneagram, so I wasn't too surprised or shocked when about 5 minutes into the podcast, I had to pause it and grip the steering wheel. The way the interviewee described what it was like being our respective Enneagram number sent shivers down my spine, and made me feel like someone had just punched me in my sternum. So naturally, I screamed inside my car "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S TOTALLY ME!!!!!! AHHH!!!!" (you know, as one does when they feel like someone FINALLY GOT IT and explained TO THEM what it was like TO BE them, and WHY).
This is why I believe so strongly in the Enneagram. I seriously hope that everyone who's familiar with the concept of personal growth would agree that knowing the WHY, the MOTIVATIONS behind what you do, think and believe is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL when wanting to pursue personal growth. I firmly believe that if people don't/can't understand the "why," or if they refuse to identify it, people put themselves in the position to become blind to their fatal flaws. These are things that cause stress, tension, wounds, and damage in our relationships with others, and in our relationship with ourselves.
The Enneagram is not a "stand-alone" tool for personal growth and spiritual development. There are lots of other personality tests, the Myers-Briggs being one of them, which are incredibly useful, valuable, and provide deep and meaningful insight into the human personalities and behavioral tendencies.
But I believe that the Enneagram does so much more than these other tests. It helps you pursue a greater understanding yourself, deeper personal growth and personal development, and it does so through identifying truly practical and challenging actions to get you out of your comfort zone and into a space that causes you to grow and mature as a person. It poses questions to ask yourself to engage in self-reflection and identify areas in your life that you may have been neglecting. It doesn't just tell you what your personality is and what you do in situational circumstances. The Enneagram helps you understand what to do about your behavioral tendencies, what to do about that part of your personality that you know isn't the most helpful or healthy thing when it comes to relationships, and what to do about approaching in areas in your life that you've avoided because they might be painful or difficult to look at, and how to do it.
The Enneagram is complex, subtle, nuanced, and has SO MUCH RICHNESS in it that I simply can not help but bring it up in conversations all the time (trust me, ask any of my friends and they'll tell you just how often I talk about the Enneagram).
While I am NO expert on the Enneagram and have only been learning and studying the Enneagram for maybe three years now, I do know that if you choose to take the Enneagram test (which you can take the Classical Enneagram test for free here) and you come across your type, you might find yourself reacting or exhibiting one or all of the following in a variety of ways:
*By angrily and intensely staring at the description of your type while screaming* "WHAT?!" "NO!!" "THAT'S NOT ME!"
*With suspicion and terror, asking* "How…how…did they know that…it's like they read my MIND - OH MY GOSH THEY'RE NOT HUMAN"
*With bewilderment and confusion at how something could be SO PAINFULLY ACCURATE THAT YOU CRINGE AND SQUIRM WHEN YOU READ/HEAR YOUR TYPE EXPLAINED TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S LIKE THEY LOOKED INTO YOUR SOUL*
OK, OK, now calm down. The Enneagram IS NOT that scary. But it is a test that takes enough mental and emotional maturity, and ESPECIALLY a pretty good amount of self-awareness to not only approach and go through the test, but to be able to accept that you ARE in fact your type once you've received your results back.
Someone reading your life story back to you while explaining the motivations behind your past actions, why you think certain things, how you interact with other people and receive messages from others in a way that makes you feel like someone took a giant magnifying glass to your soul sounds rather intimidating.
But to be honest, I would much rather face my flaws, as painful as they may be to acknowledge and come to terms with, rather than let them influence how I see and relate to Jesus, my interactions with people, and my relationship with myself. Rather than let my flaws and whatever areas in myself or in my life that I've neglected continue to wreak havoc in my life, I'd much rather try to approach them, and approach myself, with compassion, knowing that I am a work in progress, having patience with myself, and knowing that I can always become a better version of myself. I just choose to utilize the Enneagram to do that.
I know not everyone thinks this way about the Enneagram, and that's completely FINE, however, I personally think you're missing out on a really great opportunity to learn about yourself, but hey, that's just me.
If you are AT ALL curious about the Enneagram, here are some resources for you to explore! Enjoy!
The Enneagram Institute home page
Ian Morgan Cron Typology Podcast
The Road Back To You Podcast with Suzanne Stabile and Ian Morgan Cron
The Road Back To You "Explore Your Type"
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