Breaking free of the habitual ways we think and behave can be challenging, but change is possible. There is a powerful personality mapping system, the Enneagram that can help you understand why you think and behave the way you do. It promotes an awareness that you don’t have to be held hostage by your personality. Gaining an understanding of your patterns of thinking and behaving can free you from the constraints of your personality and allow you to be free to express your true self.
“The Enneagram allows us the remarkable ability to see the mechanisms of our personality in action and begin to awaken our truer nature.
-Roxanne Howe-Murphy, PhD
The Value Of Identifying Your Personality Type
The starting point to understanding and expressing your true self is identifying which of the nine distinct personality types lies within you. Each of the nine types has a different way of viewing and interacting with the world driven by two core motivators: basic fear and basic desire. These motivators create predictable thought and behavior patterns.
The value of identifying your personality type is that it opens you up to honest self-inquiry leading to an understanding of the cycles of behavior that may be holding you back. That understanding eventually leads to a relaxing or releasing of the patterns so they’re less troublesome and self-defeating.
Along with this understanding of your thoughts and behaviors, you can uncover strengths and talents that have been dormant for years, and begin interacting within your environment and with others differently. You become free of the limited version of yourself and live a more authentic and empowered life.
The Enneagram As A Pathway for Self-Discovery
By understanding your core motivators, you can find the pathway to self-improvement that works for your specific personality type.
Let’s take Enneagram Type 2, the Helper, as an example. The core fear for Enneagram Type 2 is a fear of being unlovable or unworthy, which then triggers the core desire to be loved. When Twos understand how their fear of being unlovable drives their thoughts and actions, they can acknowledge this aspect of their personality and begin to make changes necessary for personal growth.
Examing The Core Fear And Desire
That might mean Type 2 would examine the root cause of their core fear of not being lovable and begin to heal from the distorted belief. From there, they would be able to identify the ways that fear shows up in their lives. For Type 2, the desire to feel loved can be distorted into people-pleasing, never saying “no” to others’ requests, putting their own needs, wants, and desires last, and engaging in co-dependent relationships.
Embracing New Ways Of Being
Type 2 can then begin to embrace new ways of thinking and behaving that were once out of the realm of their identity. They could learn to be assertive, identify their core values, practice self-love, and release co-dependency. Through this transformational process, they can connect with the truest version of themselves.
This same process can be achieved by any one of the nine Enneagram personality types by tapping into their unique fears and desires. As you can see the Enneagram sheds light on the core motivators that are driving your thoughts and behaviors.
Opening The Door To A Life Of Freedom And Fulfillment
It can be quite a relief to realize that it’s possible to break free from the distorted narrative of who you are, and the repetitive patterns associated with it. This powerful personality mapping system opens the door to freedom by allowing you to become the purest form of yourself, brimming with limitless potential to live with a sense of purpose, passion, and fulfillment.
Step Onto Your Path Of Self-Discovery
Fortunately, the Enneagram no longer is an unavailable personality tool to discover one’s personality type. Don Riso and Russ Hudson, Enneagram scholars created the RHETI assessment that can be taken by those that have an interest in discovering their personality type. I am pleased that I can offer you the opportunity to take this Free Enneagram Assessment.