4 Reasons This Number Can Change Your Life
If you don’t know your Enneagram (pronounced ANY-A-GRAM) number, now is the time. The Enneagram is a short test of unknown origin thought to be more than 4,000 years old. The test categorizes your typical thoughts and behaviors into your number which correlates with one of the nine personality types. There are a variety of reasons why knowing your number can make life more enjoyable.
Reason #1: Improve your work relationships and environment.
A recent Forbes article by Jack Craven describes it as, “Once your team members know and understand their individual types, each of them receives immediate, actionable insights and strategies to improve their potential as a leader at work and in life.”
Craven also states about the test, “Leaders also learn how to have tough conversations with more compassion, skills and diplomacy.”
Reason #2: Identify your quarks.
Once your number or type is identified, a deep dive into that personality can provide a harsh view of typical behaviors and mistakes, but that’s the point. For the negative aspects of each personality, you can decide what areas you want to improve or at the very least, be aware when they are happening.
“If we can’t self-observe, then we can’t self-correct,” explains Chris Heuertz, author of The Sacred Enneagram.
Heuertz further explains that what makes the Enneagram unique from most personality quizzes is its focus on character — “what we develop through our inner work” — as opposed to personality — “a collection of fragments,” like our interests, experiences, and quirks.
Reason #3: Broaden your community.
When you understand how the personality types work together in different ways, you are more aware how you interact with others, allowing you to become more authentic and accepting.
A Sojourners article explains, “Exploring the depths of our own humanity and living from a place of authenticity enables real presence with others. This practice of extending hospitality toward ourselves enhances our ability to empathize with the lived experiences of others.”
Reason #4: You can find love.
If a test can improve your relationship with yourself, your colleagues and your friends, you better believe it can also help you find your perfect match.
This Elite Daily article breaks down how the test can also help you find love as it reveals the kind of partner your primary type needs in a relationship. For example, for a Type One, known to be a perfectionist, “You’re most likely to be attracted to someone who values your good advice and who takes on their share of the work in the relationship.”
For the personality known as the helper, a Type Two, “You tend to focus more on others than you do on yourself, and romantically, you need someone who can remind you that YOU matter, too.”
This is a free version of the test to see which type you are. Having this knowledge can make us more aware of how we interact with colleagues, friends and family, but even better, it could help us avoid conflict or uncomfortable situations when we know our number.