Although being truthful is essential in terms of knowing yourself, having integrity, and building trusting relationships, it is not always easy. Here are some ways we can become increasingly more truthful.

Ones | While you value truthfulness, you also value politeness; these two values can set up an internal contradiction when it comes to expressing yourself honestly. This is especially likely when you feel angry or deeply hurt, because expressing these feelings, even admitting them to yourself, may clash with your self-perception as a “good person.” Explore the idea that being ”good” includes being honest in a respectful and clear way.

Twos | You may think you are a truthful person, but when you repress your feelings so that you don’t know exactly how you feel or how deeply you feel them, it is impossible to be completely truthful with yourself or others. Ask yourself on a regular basis: How do I feel really? What is stirring inside me that I am not acknowledging?

Threes | When you put your own feelings aside so you can focus on activities, work, and fulfilling roles, they sit there in an inaccessible way. This makes it hard for you to be really truthful with yourself and others. Experience and express how you feel more regularly so you don’t feel bottled up inside. This will be of great assistance in your ability to be truthful.

Fours | Do you know that beneath what you perceive as your true feelings lie deeper feelings that are even more truthful? Explore what lies beneath and you will be amazed about the truth you discover.

Fives | When you don’t allow yourself to feel in real time, much less express them at that moment, it is near impossible for you to be as truthful as you really are deep inside. Explore your feelings, allowing them to emerge in real time rather than delaying their appearance until much later.

Sixes | When your mind swirls and your emotions stir, you may express something you feel, but is it your deepest truth? You have the capacity to be deeply and thoughtfully truthful, so still your body in order to still your mind. Then you can discover what you really feel and think.

Sevens | To be truthful, you have to access all of you, and this is impossible when you pursue only the part of you that is positive, stimulated, and excited. Your real truth will also come from also accessing your hurts, pain, anger and anxiety. This will help you tell the whole truth.

Eights | Although you pride yourself on being the truth-teller of the Enneagram, the truth you tell is really a smaller version of the bigger truth. The bigger truth comes from engaging other perspectives and from being willing to explore your feelings related to vulnerabilities such as sadness and anxiety.

Nines | You will be more truthful when you are willing to dig deeper into your emotional life, especially but not only, your feelings of anger. From this place, increased truthfulness will easily emerge.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of five 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