Five years ago, a counselor introduced me to the enneagram. He described it to me me it as ancient personality wisdom and handed me a book. I spent a couple of days reading through the nine personality types and almost immediately knew which one I was.
I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years through Myers-Briggs, Strengthsfinder, DISC, and some others, but for me, the enneagram was different. When I first read about my type (I’m a four, by the way) I felt like someone finally explained every struggle and joy of my soul. Fours have A LOT OF FEELINGS, and we often feel like we don’t fit in most places, or with most people. We can be empathetic, compassionate, and melancholy. Fours are very comfortable in the mystical space of not having all the answers, and we are uncomfortable in less-nuanced or aggressive environments. I realized I had spent a good portion of my adult life either trying to be someone I wasn’t or lamenting the person I am wired to be. The enneagram helped me find a safe little island in my own heart with this flag flying high over it:
I am wired this way, and I can learn to carry myself.
The enneagram is less of a destination of knowledge and more of a discovery of your wiring, and it’s really become a part of most of my relationships. Our family sat around the dinner table one night and talked about our types, and it’s helped give language and definition to the relational beauty and mess of loving one another well. Many of my friends are learning about the enneagram, so the language of type has woven itself into those conversations as well.
But for the most part, I haven’t written much about the enneagram. Until now.
Last week I posted this quote on Instagram, and referenced the enneagram type 4 in my comments. People came out of the woodwork on that post. I was shocked by the sheer volume of people who interacted with it— my analytics show over 1400 interactions, which is about triple my usual numbers. I knew the enneagram had become popular, but until this post, I really had no idea!
So I’m wondering who out there has heard of the enneagram, knows their type, or is struggling to figure it out? What are your favorite enneagram resources (books, podcasts,apps.?) Personally, I’ve found a lot of helpful enneagram information available on enneagraminsitute.com. I also love Ian Crohn’s podcast Typology and The Enneagram Journey podcast with Suzanne Stabile, and I reference the EnneaApp frequently.
So, what’s your number?? Give me your best enneagram resources and information in the comments, please! It would make me so happy! 🙂 🙂
For fun, I’ve created a list for you below of the nine enneagram types, explained by gif. I hope I did right by each type! You’ll have to let me know!
TYPE 1:
TYPE 2:
TYPE 3:
TYPE 4:
TYPE 5:
TYPE 6:
TYPE 7:
TYPE 8:
TYPE 9:
