This September, we are featuring blogs and podcasts centered around the Enneagram. The Enneagram is simply a tool for self-discovery and personal growth based on 9 basic personality types.
Well, if you are reading this, STOP. Because if you are me, that’s about how long you read blogs. I am an Enneagram Type 7, and I am NOT saying all who identify as a Type 7 do this but…I read the first line or so of something and then give up on reading the rest. I want to be sure I am reading the best blog full of revelation and things that will shift my perspective! So, if you are like me and tempted to move on, please keep reading! I have already given away that I am not a blog-reading person myself, but I think I have something pretty good to say.
This blog is about my experience as a Type 7. If you are a Type 7, you may be ready to peace out after this paragraph, but, the main thing I have learned through my experience with the Enneagram is this: there is nothing I have to do to “live up” to the party-hype that surrounds a Type 7, but there are some things I have the chance to change.
(For example, maybe I could try actually reading the rest of a blog post!)
Okay, everyone say goodbye to all the Type 7’s! If you are a Type 7 and you are still reading, then good change!
The Beginning
When I first started hearing about the Enneagram, I was quickly identified by friends as a Type 7. It is really fun to find yourself lining up with the characteristics of a Type 7. I love being a Type7! If you are a Type 7, you love being a Type 7! Every other number finds themselves wishing they lined up with us! So, my experience as I continued to learn more about the Enneagram was not what I expected.
The Unexpected, Unidentified Pressure
After quite a while of happily identifying as a Type 7, I suddenly found myself searching for another number. I expressed doubt when people would say, “You’re a 7, right?” I started looking into almost every other type just to check and make sure I hadn’t got it wrong. In hindsight, I was searching for another number because I felt the pressure to perform and fit this epic stereotype I kept reading about and hearing about from friends!
I love to entertain people, be positive, and make others laugh, but the more I learned about being a Type 7, the more pressure I felt to perform. Suddenly, everything I read about a Type 7 made me feel like I had to make an excuse when something I was experiencing did not perfectly line up. Type 7s are supposed to constantly be on grand adventures that blow their friends minds! So, what if I was craving a morning at home with a cup of tea and a puzzle?
Type 7s Need to Remember This
Have you ever felt the pressure to act a certain way? When I feel pressure to perform a certain way based on my Enneagram number, I am t abusing the Enneagram. I am letting the test decide and define who I am and how I act. It is meant to be the other way around, as a tool to understand who I already am! My number does not make me who I am.
You want to know something I am not? I am not smart enough to figure all of what you have read on my own. No, most of this revelation is from conversations and processing times I have had with God or other people who follow God. My journey with the Enneagram has forced me to realize that I am already created with a unique identity. As my creator, God is most pleased with me when I am walking out my personality the exact way He made me!
My Current Type 7 Experience
So, after a small hiccup of using a personality test incorrectly (because no one else has ever done that before), I love to talk with people using the Enneagram as a way to better understand our personal perspectives on life! Sometimes I go on grand adventures, and other times I stay in for a morning and do a puzzle with some tea. But when I find myself being rigid with friends or separating everyday things into “good” or “bad” categories, I have realized through the Enneagram that I may be stressed! To relieve that stress I find some time to do an activity with a friend, or just remember how amazing life, my friends, and even my job really are!
You’re not a Type 7? So, WHAT! You can still have everything a Type 7 has and more. Your Enneagram number does not tell you who you are. YOU tell YOU! If you are unsure, just ask the one who created you for some help. You don’t have to live up to anything, so go ahead and take the performance pressure off.
Want to learn more about the Enneagram? Listen to our MercyTalk Podcast with Beth McCord. Join the conversation on social media! Follow us @MercyMultiplied and let us know your thoughts.
