You Are Not Your Enneagram Number

I just finished more delicious training with Russ Hudson of the Enneagram Institute. He made it very clear that the Enneagram was brought forth to help develop being. He quoted Gurdjieff:

            “Until you can learn to be, you cannot do.”

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m very glad that the Enneagram has become more mainstream. I was filled with joy when I came across this video series, in which the Enneagram is being taught from the pulpit. Humans need to learn this behavioral model so that they can wake up from their autopilot sleepwalk through life and be who God intended them to be. So, I love it that more people know about this model and are learning to apply it to their lives and relationships.

It’s inevitable, though, that when something hits the mainstream, it gets reduced to its lowest common denominator. People find their number on the Enneagram, and usually that of their significant other, family members and friends. The question “What type are you?” is becoming more prevalent, even within the Church.

The trouble comes, though, when people become identified with that number or type. It’s ironic, because your Enneagram type isn’t who you are; it’s where you’re stuck. Though we have access to all nine personality types, one predominates – the one way of viewing the world that we’re fixated on, that we over-emphasize. That means we’re missing out on the other eight ways of viewing the world. Though each type has its gifts, your number is not something to crow about or become identified with – or use to justify your broken, fixated patterns. It just is what it is.

The goal of the Enneagram is not to learn your number and everyone else’s and then gleefully spend the rest of you life explaining why you and they act this or that way. The goal is to become more and more aware of the patterns that limit you from all God is calling you to be in the world.

Some of the confusion is a learning curve thing. You have to learn the numbers and the underlying system of the Enneagram before you can do anything with it. And of course, when you first learn it, it’s all about you discovering the underlying motives and—yes, I’ll say it—lies at the core of your being. That’s intensely interesting stuff, and it needs to be explored. But my concern is that most people will stop there, not realizing the larger picture.

Instead of saying “I’m a Seven,” I prefer to say “I have a Type Seven personality.” Because I am NOT a Seven. I am stuck at point Seven on the Enneagram of personality. The gifts of the Seven are most readily available to me, as are its struggles. But the gifts and struggles of all nine types can also be available, enabling a more comprehensive and holistic experience of human life.

Notice the phrase “can also be available.” Here’s where the hard work of the Enneagram lies. It requires daily attention to our Inner Critic and our patterns of thought and action. It requires cultivating a daily inner stillness that shuts down our personality, at least for a little while, lessening its grip on our lives. And that’s just the price of admission. If we ever hope to be the true selves that God intended us to be, there’s a lot of work ahead.

You are not your Enneagram number, but it’s a place to start. Learn about your personality’s “tricks” and how to have more compassion for yourself and others. But please don’t stop there; keep going on this journey of self-uncovery. The world is waiting for the fullness of who you are.

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