Courage is being scared to death…and saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne

Real courage is not avoiding what scares us most, then thinking we are full of courage. Neither is courage doing something terribly risky for the primary purpose of showing yourself and others that you are full of courage. Going deeper, each enneagram type could take the opportunities to show up, face that which is challenging to us, and evoke the truest meaning of courage. How can each type “saddle up”?

Enneagram Ones
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about giving up structure and control? Ones rely on structure and control – both self-control and control of their immediate environment – to feel less anxious, more relaxed, and less stressed. Try giving up structure and control, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Twos
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the need to be in contact with others constantly? There are so many ways to be in contact with others: by email, FB, phone, in person, and even just in your mind. Some Twos will say they can do this easily, but what they are often thinking of is that they are not actually with another person. Try giving up being with others in any form, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Threes
What is something that scares you do death to give up? How about the need to always have and be focused on goals and plans? In fact, most Threes say they are addicted to goals and plans, feeling lost or disoriented without them. Try giving up a goal and a related plan you have, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Fours
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the need to continuously feel as if something is missing in your life or something is wrong with you? Most Fours want to be deeply self-accepting and satisfied, and yet…. Try giving up the idea that you are intrinsically deficient and accept the idea that you are perfectly OK, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Fives
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the need to rely only on your own resources? You may be well-resourced, but sometimes single sources of resource can dry up or need to be replenished. Try giving up the idea that you can’t rely on anyone else to provide you with resources and starting thinking about who you can rely on, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Sixes
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the idea that you can’t trust yourself, but somehow you can trust others’ ideas and opinions more than your own? Think a lot about why that is! Try giving up the notion that the advice of others is better than your own – yours might even be netter – for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Sevens
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the idea that you must have ultimate freedom of movement and thought at all times or somehow something terrible will occur? Try giving up that total freedom is an absolute must-have and see what occurs when you either create or respond to another’s limits, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Eights
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the need to never show or admit that you ever feel scared about anything, so bold and brave are you? Try giving up the sense that you must live your life as a super-hero, the person who is bigger than the rest and so can save the city or nation, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Enneagram Nines
What is something that scares you to death to give up? How about the need to keep yourself small or less visible, to not asset yourself, and to act like nothing really bothers you? Go inside yourself and find the place where you know that none of this really serves you anymore. Try giving up the idea that invisibility is better than visibility, that being assertive is being pushy, for a minute, an hour, even a day.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of seven best-selling Enneagram-business books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs for professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit her website: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com. ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com