ENNEAGRAM
Who else loves taking the personality tests?
I mean what no to love – it’s like palm reading backed up with science! And you get to learn something new about your fave person – a.k.a. yourself!
Jokes aside, I’m a huge fan of all the personality tests.
I believe that learning about ourselves helps us make better decisions, understand people better, and grow as human beings.
In the past, I took MBTI, DISC, and Kolbe, which are all great and different from each other. (Try them if you haven’t!) So when I heard about The Enneagram, I had to try it.
What’s Enneagram?
If you’re not familiar with the Enneagram – it’s less about the way of learning, working style, or natural preferences, and more about the “go-to” emotions & way we approach relationships.
It’s not as scientific as others, but it seems to be pretty accurate & useful.
There are 9 “personality” types in Enneagram, but you not only get your primary one, but also the ones that you go into in stress or growth. How awesome is that?
How to know what is your Enneagram number?
- I recommend starting with The Liturgists podcast episode that explains what it’s all about as well as all the types in a really approachable way. It’s fun to listen to and they give tons of examples! So check it out.
- Then you can take the official online test at The Enneagram Institute website. It cost $12 & it took me maybe half an hour to go through. (You can also find a bunch of free ones online, but I didn’t test them). The results are instantaneous.
- You get your full report by email shortly after you take the test. It includes the description of the top 3 types that you score the highest, the way you behave at your best when you feel safe, and under stress. It describes the healthy, average, and unhealthy levels of development, showing you the opportunities for growth within your type. You also get personal growth recommendations for the top 3 types. I mean, it’s quite a lot. My report is 26 pages long.
- It’s fun, eye-opening & helps you to get to know yourself a little better.
- Besides taking the test, it’s best to read through the description of each type to see and listen to the podcast I recommended above to see if the results make sense for you. I mean, it’s only a test. It shows you the most probable type however they also tell you that you can be a different one from the top 3 they indicate for you.
- There is also a lot of additional information on the Institute website. If you have any doubts, check out the Misidentification section. It’s really helpful to rule out some types.
- You may also want to listen to super cool songs for the 9 Enneagram types by Sleeping at Last. He also has a podcast where he explains the meaning behind each song. The podcast episodes are quite lengthy, but so worth it!
- I also recommend to take it with a friend or a partner so you can discuss your results with someone else – it’s both more fun this way & you can ask for feedback to make sure you are interpreting the results accurately. The results are not always precise, for example, my results were pretty clear (I’m apparently 5 which explains why I love those tests) but Michal is in between two types (2 & 8), so it took us a while to discuss his results.
Was it worth it?
Totally! It’s both fun and learning more about yourself and others. I love how it reminds us that other people do not see the world in the same way we do. But it’s all okay. We should respect that, try to understand each other, communicate with each other (even when we think something is so effing obvious), and most importantly, learn from each other. So yeah, I’d say GO FOR IT!
Have you taken The Enneagram? Which number are you?
Know any other tests worth trying? Let me know!
PS. Do you already have my Downloadable IDEAS IN THE JAR?
IDEAS IN THE JAR
It's a fun way to bring more new experiences into your life. And who wouldn't want that, right?
It's a list of ideas that you can print out, cut out, and place in the jar. Then just pick one whenever you feel like trying something new.
