enneagram

Because I am a good nerd, I like to spend my birthday alone.  Some years I craft.  Others I read or do a spa day.  This year, my birthday was on a Saturday and my husband surprised me and flew one of my best sisters in from Cali.  Seeing her sweet face made what had been a rough few months 10,000 times lighter.  My husbands timing was perfect because my ‘plans’ had fallen through.  In my head, I had planned to go on a genealogy road trip through the deep south to do some research at local libraries for my special day.  When he shared his plans for my birthday weekend I felt a sigh of relief that I was not in charge of finding something to do to ring in the 4-4.

In the end, things worked out as they always do — just as they should.  I had a great weekend with friends and family.  I got two extra ‘ice days’ off.  Then nearly two weeks after my birthday I enjoyed an Enneagram assessment facilitated by a local Houstonian.

I learned about Enneagram a few years ago but had not done much to pursue it other than reading a few articles.  The few times I had tried to google ‘Enneagram and Houston’ together I had not had much luck.  Most of the workshops that popped up were long past.  Somehow in the midst of the craziness of my family life at the end of 2017, I got a hit.  I found a website of a local facilitator that had an email address.  Within an hour of pressing send, I received a return call and scheduled an appointment.  Life caused both of us to reschedule two different dates but we finally ended up meeting on January 26th.

Persisting to complete my Enneagram assessment was a gift to myself.  Judy says that the Enneagram is what separates me from myself, others and God.  Here are some things I learned about myself in getting my Enneagram assessment:

1. I am a Type 2 (Giver).  As a Giver my nature is to be caring, helpful, supportive, and relationship-oriented, but I can also be prideful, overly intrusive, and demanding;
2. I ‘anticipate’ what others need and step in before/regardless of if they ask for help;
3. It stresses me out to not fill other peoples needs; and
4. In times of stress I move toward Type 8 (Protector); in times of security, I move toward Type 4 (Romantic).

As with all personality assessments, the results are not exact.  However, what I appreciate about the Enneagram is the spiritual component and the recognition of how our childhoods shape the personalities we present as adults.

I’ll be digging into my Enneagram over the next few years.  If you’ve completed your Enneagram I would love to hear about your results.

kelli