Waking up
What’s so special about the Enneagram?
I need to put this into words. People might not feel drawn to sign up for my Enneagram weekend based on my goofy blabber. But how do I define the miracle of waking up from my personality?
What’s so special about the Enneagram?
I need to put this into words. People might not feel drawn to sign up for my Enneagram weekend based on my goofy blabber. But how do I define the miracle of waking up from my personality?
"Let's not go there" is a sensible thing to say when walking past a MacDonald’s. But for most of us, most of the time, it’s the worst advice ever. Today, let’s go there. Let’s go to the place we try so hard to avoid. Let’s become emotionally honest.
If there's one thing I believe in whole-heartedly, it's self-care. Your body, emotions, spirituality, relationships and work life are all vital for a full and happy life. It seems rather silly and short-sighted to neglect these things and hoping for the best. But self-care would be an interesting hobby at best, and annoying self-obsession at worst, if it was all about you.
Shame is huge.
It’s at the core of countless psychological problems, from depression to addiction to personality disorders. It's widely recognised as a crippling emotion. Yet, in my own life, shame was eerily absent. Eerily, because how does one avoid shame if your starting point was to be born so sinful that you deserved to burn in hell for all eternity?
I’m an avid supporter of boundaries. Without them, one runs into all kinds of problems. One problem is the resentful feeling that your life is being steered by others – which it probably is! Another is that you become totally un-profound: no opinion, no fire, no impact. Without boundaries, one blames others for your inauthentic life.
Read more: The ouch in boundaries: How respecting myself can put others off.
Personality types have always fascinated me. Mostly, of course, my own personality. How do I relate to people? How do I respond in conflict? How do I show love? To what extent do I include others in my life? In short, who am I, really?
I can tell you all about the MBTI, the Big Five, Jung, 16PF, and many other well-researched personality assessments. Nothing much wrong with them. But I have discovered the best one of them all. It is spot on. Brutally honest. As balanced or unbalanced as you are. It accurately describes your light and your shadow sides – a spectacular display of your very best and very worst characteristics.