Interested in being both personally satisfied and professionally effective? You have to “Love what you do, be good at it, and make yourself easy to work with!” Starting with “love what you do,” here are ways people of each Enneagram type can more readily access what they love so they can do it!

ONES

You may be already doing what you love and maybe not. But if you are already doing something you love, are you allowing yourself to wholeheartedly love it without trying to do it so perfectly or always trying to do it better that you don’t allow yourself the full pleasure of loving what you do? And if you don’t actually love what you do, then breathe into your heart and ask your heart for guidance about what you truly love.

TWOS

Do you really know what you truly love doing? This can be a difficult question for many Twos who do for others, often putting out of conscious awareness what they themselves truly love doing. Did you ever want to write a book of poetry, but never found the time? Maybe you wanted to start a bakery, become proficient at playing a musical instrument, or become a teacher? To love what you do you have to do what you love. What is it?

THREES

Threes often don’t know what they want or love because they pursue what they think they should want or should do, what their environment or role models imply they should want, and/or what they think they will be good at, whether or not this is something they love. Think about yourself near the end of your life and look backward, asking yourself this: Did what I pursue during my life actually make me happy and satisfied? Did I contribute something to others or society that fills me with internal joy rather than social recognition? If the answer to either question is no, spend some time with yourself asking yourself moment by moment this question: What do I really want to do; what do I love?

FOURS

Fours often know what they love doing, and they may well do it. But the question for Fours is whether they allow themselves to manifest in public view what they love doing. Even with talent and passion, Fours can be challenged to manifest. Why? They may think the following: What if it’s not good enough? Perhaps it feels too personal? If others don’t respond favorably, will it feel like intense rejection? Doing what you love is essential; manifesting it is the next step.

FIVES

Fives have secret lives, and all secrets are not equal. Some secrets are simply private matters. Sharing some secrets may feel invasive or like a violation of one’s personal space. But if you are only doing what you love in private and not allowing yourself to do what you love more explicitly, your energy and vibrancy will be drained and you may, years later, feel your time wasn’t well spent. Do what you love!

SIXES

What do I love doing? How do I know for sure? What if I love many different things, then what do I choose? What happens if I choose the wrong thing? What if I’m not good enough at it? So many questions, all good ones, can get in the way of the answer. The head may swirl and the heart may pound, so take a journey into the body where a more true and pure answer resides.

SEVENS

Could it be true that Sevens love many, many things, but in a sense, this makes it hard to find one area they truly love the most? Most likely, yes. The difference between being highly stimulated by something is not the same thing as loving something. For Sevens, stimulation comes in an instant and can go away just as quickly as something else draws their attention. Love is different. Love becomes self-sustaining. To find out what you love, be still, focus, and explore your heart’s deepest desire.

EIGHTS

Eights know how to do big things, but do they love the thing they do or do they love that it is big? What if you access your heart to find out what you truly love and lovely deeply, even if it is small, medium or big in potential impact? Big is not love, and neither is small. Love is what you love; try doing that!

NINES

To find out what you love, you have to be more embodied, moving from a diffused inner experience to access more of your whole body, your whole self, all of your feelings, your truest thoughts, and more. The result will be you will know what you love and then you can do it, taking action from your deepest self. This is called “right action.”

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of eight Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com