Home | Blog | Development | back to the basics

Development | back to the basics

I don’t think that you can write music if you don’t know how to play an instrument. You have to know the basics, then you can go forward. ~ Alber Elbaz

Sometimes we get so sophisticated about the Enneagram and its nuances, we can forget the basics, the pillars on which all else is built:

Enneagram One | Core Development Areas
Becoming accepting, calm, and serene rather than trying to make everything perfect.
Letting go of being overly attentive to details and needing to have everything under control.
Becoming more flexible and relaxed and less judgmental and reactive.

Enneagram Twos | Core Development Areas
Acknowledging that you have needs and desires, and focusing more on taking care of yourself and less on catering to the needs of others.
Finding an internal basis for self-esteem rather than making your self-worth dependent on the reactions of others.
Integrating dependence and autonomy in both your personal and professional relationships.

Enneagram Threes | Core Development Areas
Deeply exploring your inner thoughts, feelings, and experiences in order to become more genuine.
Going more with the flow of events and experiences and being less driven to continuously try to make things happen.
Learning the difference between doing and being, and appreciating yourself for who you are rather than for what you do.

Enneagram Fours | Core Development Areas
Integrating objectivity with emotionality to find an equilibrium of your heart and mind.
Finding a deep sense of self-worth without comparing yourself to others.
Focusing simultaneously and equally on yourself and other people.

Enneagram Fives | Core Development Areas
Engaging emotionally in real time rather than automatically disengaging from your emotional responses.
Sharing more of yourself – including your thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences – with others.
Being a central part of events, interpersonal interactions,   and organizations, rather than staying on the periphery.

Enneagram Sixes | Core Development Areas
Learning to differentiate between an insight and a projection (something based on imagination).
Trusting your own inner authority rather than looking to someone or something outside yourself for meaning and certainty.
Having faith in yourself and others to be able to handle whatever occurs.

Enneagram Sevens | Core Development Areas
Being able to focus mentally, emotionally, and physically at will.
Feeling genuine and consistent empathy for others.
Accepting and integrating the reality of pain and discomfort along with pleasure.

Enneagram Eights | Core Development Areas
Being forthcoming about your deep vulnerabilities.
Allowing others to exercise autonomy and control.
Being receptive and responsive to input from others rather than moving to immediate, unilateral action.

Enneagram Nines | Core Development Areas
Expressing your thoughts, needs, and preferences even when these oppose the wishes of others.
Being active and assertive rather than acting de-energized or passive.
Learning to embrace conflict and deal with it directly, with the understanding that resolving differences brings people together.

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

Comments are closed.
X