Scott Mills, Ph.D.
Whether you are seeking to make a big change in your life or a small one, the Enneagram can provide a powerful tool for assisting you in this effort. In part, this happens as we realize that there are other people just like us. We don't have to think that we are the only one like us out there. And in the process, it can help us to understand the differences in other people around us. In the end, we come to see clearly that change happens in different ways for people depending on the deep patterns that have formed throughout our lives. Change is much easier when we work with these patterns rather than trying to butt heads with them.
Over the next few weeks I will be exploring each type in more depth including showing you the greatest resources that your type has for change and the places where you are likely to need assistance. I will include suggestions in how to overcome these particular obstacles based on your type. As a way of introduction there are a few things that are worth understanding.
First, all the types are good. Sometimes people wish they were one type or another. In fact, people can misidentify themselves as the type they would most like to be. But just because I think it would be cool to be 6'4, it doesn't change my actual height. Every one of the types has it's own gifts and beauty just as they all have their own shadows.
Second, we all have all of the types within us. If you imagine that you were looking through a prism, one color might seem stronger than the others based on where you are standing. It doesn't mean that the other light isn't there. In the same way, we all carry parts of all of the types. But we tend to see the world through one of the types most clearly. The wider we allow our vision to get, the more we can begin to incorporate the other types.
Third, the more you understand yourself, the greater your options become. Understanding your own motivations and patterns of behavior can assist you in creating lasting change in your life. Often people try to force their way past their deeply rooted patterns and find themselves in pain. Every pattern in your life is there for a reason. They all have your best interest in mind. Sometimes we have picked up these patterns when we were not as skilled or wise so there is a better way to accomplish what they are there for. When we can see and understand our patterns clearly, it is much easier to work with them and create change in our lives.
Finally, while our basic type doesn't change much, our perspective and health can. One of the biggest debates among students of the Enneagram is whether people's type changes over the course of their lifetime. One of my colleagues has aptly noted that "the wiser a person gets, the harder it gets to tell what their type is. They seem to incorporate the best of all of the types." Whether or not our basic type changes, there is a huge range of movement in each type to become more and more developed as a human being. As you explore this work further, I encourage you not to get attached to your type. Simply allow yourself to notice the patterns that show up in your life and work with them. In the end, this is the best way to moving towards greater health and wellbeing.
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