A gift and challenge of the Seven

Sevens are what Don Riso called the 'spark plugs' of the Enneagram. They are upbeat, enthusiastic and interested in lots of things so they are fun to be around. They don't like to deny themselves anything pleasurable so they won't deny you your pleasures either. Their optimism and energy are infectious and their real gift is being able to shine that light, as it were, into the dark places. They somehow know this as they can feel it is almost their duty to keep others feeling 'up' and good about life. However this can be their challenge too as it comes from the fact that they, themselves, do not want to deal with the darker things in life - or even, simply, the more mundane things. They get bored easily and do not want to look inside themselves too much for fear of any uncomfortable or less than happy feelings they might find there, hence their focus on experiences and activities. In fact Sevens can be so busy filling up their lives with stuff - experiences or material things - that they can be unfamiliar with their own unhappier or more complicated feelings to the extent that they are ill-equipped to deal with them. When such feelings do arise they distract themselves with yet more activity in order to avoid admitting to themselves or others that they may be unhappy or have problems. Their behaviour can become more and more manic and out of control as they attempt to assuage their anxiety and sense of panic. Sevens can grow by allowing themselves to explore all of their feelings, by accepting the less comfortable ones as a part of life and understanding that it is OK to feel unhappy sometimes and that it is not their job to keep everyone 'up' and feeling good.