I discovered the Enneagram some five years ago when I was working in a small local gym.  It was presented mostly as a tool for motivating employers and maximising their strengths as individuals and as a team.  And therefore, that’s all it ever was for me.  Plus, I was at a phase of my life where I was more interested in having fun than I was in deeply understanding myself.

But within 2 years, all of that changed when I found myself smack bang in the middle of my quarter life crisis/Saturn Return.

Hungry for all things spiritual, I was drawn to revisit the only book I had ever purchased on the Enneagram, The Wisdom of the Enneagram: the Complete Guide to Psychology and Spiritual Growth for Nine Personality Types.  Except, this time, it wasn’t the psychology part of the book I was drawn to reading; it was the part on Spirituality.

Finally, I could see that there was so much more to the Enneagram than I first believed.

It wasn’t just another personality typology system.

Instead, it was a system for profound awareness and awakening.

Everything I had learnt from A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and the Vipassana meditation retreat, were all synchronising right here in the Enneagram.  The Enneagram simply provided the framework, the map.

This is when my curiosity and desire to learn more about the Enneagram reached an all time high. I finally saw that this system wasn’t trying to put me in another personality “box”.  Instead, it was trying to show me the box I had unconsciously put myself in and how limited my life was by living, loving and learning only from inside this box.

Whilst I already knew of the incredible power of shifting your perspective and reframing your view, I didn’t know that I was still doing this within my own little box.

(You see, I am dominant in Type Seven, and we have a tendency to be ‘chronic positive reframers’.  In the personal development world this is a celebrated skill, and it truly is.  But, so is accepting reality as it is, no matter how unpleasant or uncomfortable it may be. And not just for a few moments either.  But, back then, in my positive reframing eyes, reality checks were only for debbie downers or negative natzis.)

From this day forward, using the Enneagram as the framework for learning more about myself and those close to me became my new found obsession.  Finally, I could see myself clearly for the very first time.  And, just as important, I was able to see others clearly for the very first time.

I became more compassionate…less judgmental.
I became more loving…less reactive.
I became more accepting…less resistant.

My presence deepened.

My relationships deepened.

And my consciousness expanded all while my feet rooted deeper into the earth.

Last year, I decided to take my four years of self study and do some formal training.  This Enneagram stuff was blowing my mind.  I really wanted to know how to bring this tool to life and integrate it with my love of helping others live more wholehearted, genuine, expansive, truthful, spiritual, joyful lives.

That’s when I enrolled in the Deep Coaching Certification; a 10 month training program devoted to presence coaching using the Enneagram as the catalyst for profound change.

For the past six months my head has been buried in text books, my ears have been plugged into 5am conference calls and my heart has been spilling out into self-reflection essays and assignments.  And in two weeks, I’ll be heading to New Mexico for the in-person group intensive where my training and knowledge will take on a whole new dimension and I’ll be one step closer to completing my certification.

From here, the Enneagram will become a much bigger part of my work with coaching, teaching, creating and writing.

Coming up next week: part two – introducing the Enneagram.

What about you:  are you familiar with the Enneagram?  And if so, when did you discover it?  And, how has it impacted your life? Let me know in the comments below.  Love reading these stories!

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Are you a newbie to the Enneagram or not 100% certain of your dominant type?  There’s only 2 weeks left to save $100 (intro offer) with the ENNEAGRAM DISCOVERY SESSION.  Just email send me a direct email to [email protected] to express your interest and I’ll send you all the details.