Hello everyone!!
January has been a full one - from warm Nicaraguan summer to cold NC snow days, I feel like we’ve seen it all! But it feels good to be back with the fellows doing all the fellows things.
This month has been one of new intentions and new self discoveries, aand a lot of days of cancelled class and free hours to ponder and slow down and be out of routine.
One of the catalysts for my self reflection has been our Enneagram classes. I’ve been a diehard fan of the Enneagram since high school and have identified as a type 9 for many years, but it’s been a while since I’ve gone back to the Enneagram with the intention of growth. However, a lot of new things have popped up for me during this time, and since I’m sure the fellows are sick of me talking about it, I’m going to brain dump all of my thoughts and feelings about it here:
Over the last few years, I’ve worked on voicing my opinion & being more comfortable with conflict (a struggle for 9s), but recently I’ve realized how much the “spiritual sloth” of the 9 is still so present in my life. It looks a lot like falling asleep to my inner needs, lacking intrinsic motivation to do the things I want to do, and devaluing my own thoughts and experiences. This was both validating and discouraging, knowing that there is still much inner work to do!
What felt really helpful has been learning more about the connecting points on the enneagram, and how to use those to tap into other characteristics to pull myself out of my “nine-ness”. Nines are connected to Threes and Sixes, and can exhibit negative qualities of those types, but also pull from their strengths. For example, when I’m feeling stuck, I can tap into the 3’s drive and ambition or the 6’s planning and intentionality, and “act out of” those numbers. Because 3s are in the heart triad, and 6s are in the head triad, connecting with those numbers can also balance out my gut/body instinct and allow me to be more well-rounded, and therefore more in touch with myself.
Some ways I am working on incorporating this to get unstuck in my inner life:
Self-care: spending more time & energy on self-care. Pulling from the 3 and seeing my image and well-being as a worthwhile investment, not a burden.
Planning & tracking goals: I always saw myself as a more go-with-the-flow person when it comes to my goals and ambitions, but I’m seeing my need to pull from the 6 and 3 to figure out what I really want out of life and put a plan in place to get it! I’m doing monthly audits to check in on different areas of my life regularly, celebrate small wins, and reorient my mind to the big picture. This feels more refreshing and exciting than I thought it would, and I’m building the muscle of regularly working toward long term hopes and dreams!
There’s definitely more, but I’m trying to start with small changes, to be 2% better every day! Stay tuned for a February update!
With love, Maddie Grace :)