I love the Enneagram. The more I learn about it, the cooler I think it is. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Enneagram is a personality typing tool. Unlike tools such as MBTI (which I also think is valuable), you don’t need a professional to interpret it and tell you what your type is; it’s the only self-identifying typing tool that I know of, and the nine (9) types are intriguing. I’ll write more about this in future posts, but what has me excited today is the “EnneaThought” I just received from http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/.  If you know your type, you can sign up to get the EnneaThought for your type on a daily basis. So far, I’ve found them to be about 95% applicable, so I think I’ve typed myself accurately. Here’s the latest:

“Reflect on this teaching: Possession of knowledge alone cannot bestow virtue, happiness, or fulfilment. For these things we must look within and beyond ourselves. Where do you usually look for them? (Understanding the Enneagram, 331)”

I love knowledge. I used to think knowledge alone was enough (it’s not). Then I focused on introspection; interesting (to me), but not enough. I’ve come to realize that introspection and extrospection – looking beyond ourselves – are the truest ways to happiness and fulfillment. We can’t rely solely on ourselves, nor can we expect others to make us happy. It’s a combination of the internal and external that allows us to develop most fully.