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Oct_2015_DevelopmentEnneagram Ones adore the elegance of unadorned simplicity, yet they overcomplicate their lives with “shoulds,” “musts,” and “oughts,” and with plans that include elaborate details. Remind yourself that the most perfect aspects of life are those that are refined to their simplest forms.

Enneagram Twos like things to go smoothly, and simplicity allows that, yet they overcomplicate relationships and their lives in terms of being available to others at the expense of themselves. Remind yourself to streamline your relationships so they are simple and straightforward rather than intricate and complex.

Enneagram Threes think they are efficient and effective, and they usually are. But can they keep it so simple it becomes sophisticated? In their efforts to get things done well and keep moving forward, they can forget the profound simplicity of staying in the moment rather than following the plan. Remind yourself to push the pause button and allow what you want and how to move forward to be “in flow” rather than “on plan.”

Enneagram Fours love the idea of sophisticated simplicity, yet they can overcomplicate so many aspects of their lives: their thoughts, feelings, interactions with others, and manifesting their concepts into workable plans. Remind yourself that the ultimate art form is simplicity; keeping it simple means getting to the essence of things so they can be easily explained to others.

Enneagram Fives like simplicity and sophistication, but can they put these two together with ease? Simplicity involves connecting different aspects of the same whole into its essential form. Remind yourself that compartmentalizing or segmenting what you know and keeping your emotions separate from your thoughts, as well as other forms of keeping things distinct, will not aid you in experiencing and manifesting profound simplicity.

Enneagram Sixes rarely keep things simple, although part of them longs to do so and they can. With minds racing with various scenarios, how can things be simple in the Sixes’ complex mind? Remind yourself to slow your mental process down and to stay in your body through breathing and somatic grounding activities. Sophisticated simplicity is likely to emerge from that state of being.

Enneagram Sevens enjoy their very active minds so much and usually become so entertained by their thoughts that simplicity often evades them. But what if simplicity in its most sophisticated forms awaits you if you stay still, focus your mind, and go deeper into your heart to find the essence or core kernels of your insights? Remind yourself that if you do this, an even greater beauty of elegant simplicity awaits you.

Enneagram Eights like things big, but big and impactful are not necessarily elegant, sophisticated simplicity. Big is not always better because simplicity comes in a variety of forms: small, medium and big. Remind yourself to take the time to go into your heart and your mind as well as your gut to find the responses that are nuanced, refined and sophisticatedly simple.

Enneagram Nines have an innate sense for the simple and sophisticated, but too easily forget what this is or how to access it by merging with others – simplicity comes from your inner core. Remind yourself to stay grounded, and fully in your body, heart and mind. When you do this, sophisticated simplicity will flow from you.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of six 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

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