Freedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose. ~ Wayne Dyer

What is our special key to freedom? One size does not fit all, but the Enneagram can enlighten us about what our unique key to freedom is about. In this 1st part of the 3-part series, you can read reflections on keys to freedom for enneatypes 1, 2, and 3.

Enneagram Ones
For type Ones, the most obvious obstruction to living the life they choose is their reliance on numerous rules for how to live their lives and the judging internal voice in their minds that chastises them when they go off course and sometimes affirms them when they stay on track. The thought of giving up their rules and turning off their inner voice creates anxiety and resistance in Ones, although at some level, they long for the increased freedom they imagine would be theirs if they could do so.
Key to freedom | What if you could make a list of all your rules – and you will find hundreds of them if you truly probe this arena – and then make a decision to discard those rules that you believe either no longer serve you or are stated/adhered to in an overly rigid way? If this process works for you, then revisit it monthly by discarding (or adjusting) more rules, plus adding any new ones that have come to your attention. The purpose of this is not to add rules, but it is to make explicit all the rules you have so you can keep choosing to discard them and to, thereby, gain more freedom.

Enneagram Twos
For type Twos, the spiritual aspect is called Holy Freedom or Holy Will. As a result, identifying and using the key to Twos’ freedom will catapult them into higher spiritual realms, while they are in the process of becoming more free. The key is the Twos’ being beholden to the responses of others for their self-esteem and self-worth. Twos, who often perceive themselves as independent spirits, are actually highly dependent on other people’s reactions. If the response is positive, so rises the Two’s sense of self-esteem and self-worth rises and inflates; if the reactions of others are not positive, the Two’s sense of self deflates.
Key to freedom | The important word here is pride, the passion or emotional engine of type Twos. The Two’s pride inflates with positive reactions and deflates with negative. Most Twos suffer with the deflation, but are excited by the inflation, not recognizing that the inflation and deflation are two sides of the same mechanism that needs to be altered if Twos are to find the freedom they so dearly desire.

Enneagram Threes
For type Threes, freedom is an aspiration – more conscious in some Threes than others – but it is an illusive quality for them. Does this mean, from their point of view, that freedom is the ability to do whatever they want? If Threes reflect on this definition of freedom, the more aware Threes will recognize that they may feel they have the freedom to act, but this action is often based on what they think they should want, not what they deeply want. This “socially-defined” way of acting comes from Threes’ Mental Center, as they think the following: What should I enjoy doing? What is the way in which people who are well-respected act? The real challenge for Threes is to find freedom in terms of acting on what they themselves most deeply want, not what they should want.
Key to freedom | The answer to what Threes deeply want cannot be found from their minds; the key to the answer lies in their hearts. However, the Threes’ mind can be a trickster, making them think that what they “should” want is what they truly want. In addition, many Threes are not sure where their heart truly is or, if they do know its location, they wonder if they can stay there long enough – without getting too anxious – to find the answer. The key to freedom is breathing, allowing the breath to inhabit the heart as fully as possible without any force. Do this, and then ask the question: What do I truly want?

Stay tuned for part 2 in this series!

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