A process, not a goal

When we first take an interest in the Enneagram we can often feel that the goal is to find out what Type we are and that once we have done so, the job is done (as it were). But actually, finding one's Type is just a part of the journey - albeit an important part. In fact the journey of finding one's Type is only the start. It continues beyond that knowledge and never ends because becoming aware of oneself and developing oneself is an ongoing process. It is also important to remember that the Enneagram does not tell you who you are. It reveals who you think you are. And I use 'reveals' deliberately because often it is not only that we don't really know ourselves very well but we often don't really know who we think we are either. So it can be difficult to recognise ourself. That is because who we think we are is based on assumptions we made when we were very young which have since ingrained themselves over the years as truths.

For some people the journey towards finding their Type can be long and is only made through trial and error. They may think they are a Seven, for example, but on learning more about the Seven and living with that 'reality' for a while, they feel that it doesn't really 'land' for them, that something doesn't feel quite true, and so they may go searching again and sometimes again. Other people have less difficulty identifying their Type but, and this is important to remember, this can depend on Type. It has been observed, for example, that certain Types find it easier to identify themselves whilst certain others have more difficulty and there are reasons in their psychological make-up as to why this is. So it is best to view the Enneagram as a journey, a process of peeling back layers of awareness if you like. It is not a race towards a definitive end point - there is no end point - and the exact process is different for everyone. But there is a common realisation along the road: I am not who I thought I was and, with that, more questions open up because If I am not who I thought I was, then who am I?