The Enneagram is a personality tool that gives us profoundly accurate insights into why we behave, think, and feel the way we do. (Ennea meaning 9; gram meaning drawing) refers to the 9 basic personality types that make up the Enneagram. Each of the 9 types has a distinct set of core motivations. The core motivations show us what’s most important to us and the strategies we use to satisfy those values. Understanding these strategies can lead to deep self-awareness, as well as a greater understanding and compassion for others. These patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving can be so automatic that we aren’t consciously aware of them. While most of the time, they serve us well, they can also hinder our ability for personal growth and prove to be troublesome when we’re not at our healthiest. Once we become aware of these strategies or patterns, we are able to make more informed decisions about our actions.

In the same way we can use the Enneagram to better understand ourselves, we can also use it to understand what drives another person's behavior. For example, if we know someone's aggressive behavior is coming from a place of fear, then we will automatically soften our responses and better relate to them. Each of the 9 types sees and interacts with the world from their own perspective, all of which are valid. Think of it like we’re all wearing different colored lenses - if you wear blue lenses, then you see the world in blue, but if you wear green lenses, you see the world in green. And so on, and so on. This understanding of other people can provide us with so much more compassion toward one another, as well as practical ways of relating and communicating with each other.

I believe that complete transformation can only come from Jesus Christ, but having clarity of your inner world (which is exactly what the Enneagram offers) can be a serious game changer. Religious or not, I know learning about yourself with the help of the Enneagram will be a pivotal step toward growth in your life!