Right off the bat, I want to say that when I first heard about the Enneagram, I absolutely loathed it. But it wasn’t long until my loathing turned into a deep love for the Enneagram. There are so many reasons why I love the Enneagram, but I’m just going to write about the top three reasons in this post. But before I jump into talking about my reasons, here’s a quote from Ian Morgan Cron, host of Typology Podcast and author, that sums up and perfectly describes why I love the Enneagram.
What separates the Enneagram from so many other typologies is that it’s not based on traits or characteristics. It’s really based on unconscious motivations that powerfully influence the way we typically act, think, feel, et cetera.
Ian Morgan Cron
The number one reason that I love the Enneagram is that it names the things about me that I couldn’t name. I never lived outside of my hometown until I went to college in 2018 which led me to realize that although I’m thankful for my upbringing, there were some things about me that were not healthy and wouldn’t serve me as a successful adult. So, in 2019 I went on journey to become a better person, but I didn’t know where to start my transformational journey because there were so many things that I couldn’t name. It wasn’t until I broke down in early 2020 and took an Enneagram test to figure out my type (also because my friend groups would always talk about it but I felt left out because I knew nothing about it) that figured out a starting point in my transformational journey.
The second reason that I love the Enneagram is because there is both empathy and community built into it. We have all felt like we are alone at some point in our life, especially during hard times, but the Enneagram shows us that we’re not alone.
The final reason that I want to talk about in this post is that gives me a plan. Unlike other typologies, the Enneagram doesn’t just tell you traits and characteristics of your personality. It gives you a plan on how to go from unhealthy to healthy, it shows you what typically happens for your type during stress and security, and it shows much more that I can’t get into in this post (because this post would never end).
Now that I’ve talked about the reasons that I love the Enneagram, I want to briefly talk about opposition toward the Enneagram. I recognize that a lot of males are opposed to the Enneagram, but as a black male, I want to encourage every male who might be reading this to give it a chance. As I write this post, I’m currently isolated in my dorm room because I tested positive for COVID. There is one thing that has always been true about me… I hate not being able to go places whenever I want to or go annoy a close by friend. So, this isolation has been hard, but I have had to lean on people during this isolation period. Pre-Enneagram Braylon would have done everything to get out of isolation; however, since I know about the Enneagram, I know that would have only done that so I wouldn’t have to trust in getting help from other people. Knowing this, has helped me lean into letting people help me which is helping me grow as human being.
There is also opposition toward the Enneagram that says Christians shouldn’t use because it has demonic roots. I can’t say much about this topic of opposition because I’m not well versed in the points. However, when I first started my podcast, Enneagram Restored, I did some deep research (hours upon hours of research) into the history of the Enneagram. In my research, I found a lot of things that are not typically mentioned to people who are new to the Enneagram, but there was absolutely nothing that pointed towards demonic roots.
I want to close out this post by saying that I hope that you can understand my passion for the Enneagram. But most of all, I hope that you take stock in the Enneagram because it is so beneficial. If you don’t know where to start learning about the Enneagram, then you should listen to my podcast Enneagram Restored (available everywhere) and you should check out the list of Enneagram resources on my website. (Just click one of the buttons below)
The final thing that I want to say is the same thing that I say to close each episode of my podcast… the Enneagram doesn’t define you, but it does bring restoration. It helps reshape your thinking and habits.
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