Where do I start?
A step-by-step guide for start the Enneagram journey.
Step 1: Do not start with trying to figure out your Enneagram Type. Start with an Enneagram overview.
It’s a natural desire to jump to Enneagram Typing. Isn’t the point to figure out more about ourselves? But without an overview understanding of what we are talking about when we are talking about Enneagram, you increase your risk of getting your Type wrong. You will hear a description of “achiever” and think, “that’s me!” if you don’t take the time to learn that each Type can be an achiever, but with a different reason as to why.
Read my about Enneagram page to get both an overview and Type descriptions.
Listen to my interview on The Entrepreneur’s Studio in which I overview the Enneagram Types and talk about why they matter for collaboration.
Step 2: Take your time.
There can be pressure to figure out your Type right away. But the reality is it can take quite awhile to reflect on why we do what we do. Give yourself space to process through the layers.
Take my course to walk through layers of the Enneagram in chapters, leading you through the process of discovery. Break Out of the Box gives you something much more than a test or a book.
Listen to panel discussions of Enneagram Types and ask yourself, “Which panel does it feel like I could be on? Here is a starting point of one panel of each Type from Art of Growth. choosing from a Type 1 Panel, Type 2 Panel, Type 3 Panel, Type 4 Panel, Type 5 Panel, Type 6 Panel, Type 7 Panel, Type 8 Panel, or Type 9 Panel
Step 3: Take tests, but compare them, and hold them loosely.
Keep in mind that Enneagram is meant to hold space for complexity and nuance. It is not about external behaviors, but internal drivers. Enneagram Typing is a work of deep self-reflection and cannot be determined by one test alone.
Hold any Enneagram test as only one data point, using the test to narrow down, not determine, your Type. Consider your top 3-4 results as solid possibilities. Notice if one Intelligence Center is dominating your results.. Take multiple tests and see if there is a pattern.
Take a few free online Enneagram tests Truity, Personality Path, Art of Growth, Eclectic Energies
Use my self-typing assessment to guide you in the process of Typing self-reflection. Download it here.
Step 4: Try on a Type like a pair of pants.
Instead of just wavering and wondering what your Type is, “try on a Type” and see if it fits. Pick one that you have been thinking about, start reading more and doing more with that Type, and know that you can always change your mind. Just like a pair of pants, you can’t really know what fits until you try it on. And know that trying on a Type is not a waste, even if you change your mind. If you resonate with a Type, it means there is work for you to do there. Every Type has wisdom it can bring to our lives.
Listen to more podcasts about your Type, using my Spotify playlists as a starting point. I have playlists for Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 4, Type 5, Type 6, Type 7, Type 8, and Type 9.
Get some coaching. I have a free 20 minute consultation call through which I can point you in the direction of more resources, and talk about whether any of my services, like the Beyond Your Number Pathway could be right for you.
Step 5: Keep doing the work.
Discovering your Type is only the beginning. In order for Enneagram to be a tool that can break us out of boxes, you can’t just let it be one more “personality test” you take and forget about. You need to engage it. Talk to others who know the Enneagram about your experiences. Listen to podcasts about your Type and the growth process. Activate your inner observer. I’ve got some tips for how to do this in my article called Practice the Pause. Read some books. Take a hike and reflect on who you are and who you are becoming.
Step 6: Enjoy the journey!
💛 Stephanie
