I always have a lot on my plate. I talk too fast. I always read instruction manuals. I stop at stop signs, even on an empty street. I plan my days to the minute. I'm an enneagram type one – and I love it.

Okay, let's back up and talk about what the Enneagram actually is. The Enneagram is essentially a tool to help people understand their personality type. Within the Enneagram exists nine basic archetypes for character structure, meaning there are nine ways of seeing yourself in the world which, together, complete the essence of humanity as a whole.

According to The Enneagram Institute, "It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type." Everyone has one basic personality type then wings within one or two other types. This means they resonate the most with their basic type, but see parts of themselves in another type as well.

So, let's talk type ones. Type ones are often referred to as "the perfectionist" or "the reformer" because of our desire to make situations better and do it the right way. Ones have an inner critic and we are harder on ourselves than we are on the world. We constantly feel that we need to earn love, favor and grace. We are organized, structured and detail oriented. In health, ones become optimistic, extroverted and adventure seeking. In stress, ones become self-righteous, inflexible and condemning of others.

Ones see the world in black and white in the sense that they have a strong sense of right and wrong. We want to make the world a better or perfect place not because we believe we are superiorly able to do so, but because we can see the potential for beauty and greatness. We want to achieve this perfection by following the rules.

Ones are naturally able to take chaos and turn it into order. We thrive off of structure, leadership by example and having set boundaries. We value self-control and rarely show our anger or emotions outwardly because we want to be able to control it.

Ones often naturally very driven, ambitious and like to work efficiently by working in lists. Like you heard before, ones are usually also perfectionists, not only about ourselves but also on the world around us. We want plans to be executed perfectly and to make that happen, we plan ahead.

Let's talk self-care. Ones, be compassionate towards yourself and others. When facing disappointment, failed projects and imperfect days, give yourself grace.

Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Ones often view showing emotions as a loss of control when showing your feelings is just simply being human.

Set time aside to relax. Life doesn't always have to be the grind or the hustle. Take care of yourself and let yourself recharge.

Embrace the imperfect and less than Instagram worthy days because there are A LOT of them! Not every day will go according to schedule, but learning to be flexible and gracious with your time can relieve a lot of stress.

Lastly, find something to fall in love with every day. Fall in love with the way the sunlight peeks through your kitchen window. Fall in love with the smell of freshly cut grass. Fall in love with the way someone you love says your name. Fall in love with the quiet moments where it's just you, your dog and a great book. Look for the good, fall in love with the little things. This is how to find joy in the days that are less than perfect.