Well, kind of.
For some people new to the Enneagram, they are might feel like identifying with a certain number boxes them in. Their number becomes a stamp on their head that forever defines them and brings on judgement from anyone who knows even the slightest about the Enneagram.
I want to remind you of a few things:
- All of us – Enneagram or not – have to remember that we are all unique, created by God for a divine purpose. Nothing can change that fact. Not your ethnicity, your gender, your past, your weaknesses, your hair color, your accent, your dairy allergy, your hair cut, your Enneagram number, your four Myers-Briggs letters, the results of your SHAPE test or your DISC test… I think you get it.
- If you only have a surface level of the Enneagram, you may think, that every person is just tossed into one of nine containers and that’s that. Not true. We humans are WAY too complex for that. Just like the paint chips at the home improvement store, there isn’t just red, blue, orange, etc. There’s crimson, maroon, magenta, teal, aquamarine, navy. In the mixture of our “color” there are many colors. Trying to separate those colors out of the mix is impossible.
- For those of us who DO have a deeper knowledge of this wonderful useful personality tool, we must use it with caution. Just as you don’t swing around a drill by its cord or run with a sharp flat head screwdriver in your hand, the same is with our knowledge of the Enneagram (or any other personality typing tool, diet plan, financial strategy, etc.). We utilize it with care and compassion.
For me personally, the Enneagram didn’t box me in. In fact, it freed me to express things about my personality and motivations that I may have had a hard time articulating before. (I am also very proud to be a One!)
Thanks for reading,
Mindy