A Day in the Life of an Enneagram 7: Sarah B

How did you get introduced to the Enneagram?

I first heard about the enneagram in 2016. I had some friends who had been working through some stuff and my buddy starts talking about the Enneagram. He was transformed by some of the things he was learning about his number.  The Enneagram gave him some language to communicate in ways that were totally transformative. I was immediately interested. About 6 months later I was told my team at work was going to be doing an Enneagram workshop led by Suzanne Stabile. I was totally ready to learn.

What is it like being a 7?

I’ll speak for myself and say that being a 7 is fun… but it is also a bit exhausting. I see the silver lining and I do it pretty quickly. I create and innovate to make things better and more fun. I really don’t love to sit in trouble and sadness – so I have the need to make things right if I can. I like to live in the moment, plan for the future, and I don’t really think about what happened last. The achilles heel of the 7… being trapped. UGH ITS THE WORST!! I need trips on the horizon, adventure in my future, and something to plan. I love to try new things and STOP new things… especially if it isn’t bringing anyone joy, and please don’t tell me when and how to do my job, I promise I will deliver! 7’s are sort of jacks of all trades and we need diversity in our jobs and lives. Schedules help me stay steady and consistent, but can you remind me what a schedule is again?

Can you share a personal story of your number in action?

For me, when COVID hit and things shut down, being trapped was inevitable and the 7’s of the world were stuck. For me, I had to sit in this sadness and process the fact that the things I looked forward to were potentially off the table. As well, the normal things on my schedule that I was pumped about were getting deleted by the hour. I was so bummed. it took me about 2 weeks of feeling anxious about the unknown before I just decided that I was going own this season. Find the positive. Its what we do! I just decided to use the time. I was going to work really early in morning, really be with my kids, adventure with them, have fun date nights with my husband after the kids went to bed, create in my work to make it more fun, and grow my own personal and spiritual practices. I just started working with the time I had for the lives of me and family, instead of worrying about the time “getting back to normal.”

How has the Enneagram helped you in the process of personal or spiritual growth?

Since learning about the Enneagram, I take more seriously my strengths and weaknesses and try to work on those areas. For example, 7s are prone to addiction and this could literally be anything from positive things to all the negative things you are thinking of now. Being aware of this helps me to stay in check.

How has the Enneagram impacted your relationships (e.g., spouse, kids, friends, colleagues, etc.)?

Learning about the Enneagram for sure has helped me realize that I don’t see the world the way others do, and others certainly don’t see the world the way that I do. This has honestly changed a lot of my relationships. Some have ended and some have gotten extremely deep. Mostly it has given me a baseline for understanding and a desire to meet the needs of the people around me. If I know you are a 2 and you ask me if you can help, I am for sure going to give you something to do – I wouldn’t want to rob you of a blessing. For me, I try to be a lot more gentle, slower to speak, and ask others before I make a decision for a group… but hurry up people, there is fun waiting to be had!