On a scale of one-to-10, how would you rate your self-awareness?

Self-awareness is critical to a healthy, productive lifestyle. It helps us understand ourselves so we can overcome habits that no longer serves us and enhances communication between family, friends, and teammates. It’s a journey worth taking.

One way to develop self-awareness is assessing and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of our personalities. There are many types of personality tests that help us figure out who we are and what we need to change.

One of the most comprehensive programs is the Enneagram. The book, The Road Back to You, explains the nine interconnected personality types and how they affect our lives. It was developed to help us self-reflect, accept who we are, and heal from our inadequacies. It inspires us to become our ‘true selves’.

 “There’s great wisdom in the Enneagram for people who want to get out of their own way and move closer toward becoming the person they were created to be,” The Road Back to You.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful? To become who you were created to be without all the muck!

The Enneagram helps you recognize the worst and the best of your personality type. It highlights what you should hold on to and what you should let go of. It encourages you to relax your grip on the parts of your personality that are holding you back from living a fuller, more relational life.

“The thing that is really hard and really amazing is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” Ann Quindlen

Self-awareness is incredibly important. It opens up ways for people to connect, navigate, and grow in relationship. The Enneagram exposes the inner belief systems that stunt a healthy self-image and nullifies needed self-expression.

Stifling self-awareness keeps you from sharing your emotions. It disables the capacity or vocabulary to understand what you are feeling and the ability to express it in a clear and concise way. Those especially affected are victims of trauma, human trafficking, and childhood emotional neglect. They often cannot process their negative feelings and express them for fear of retribution.

The Enneagram is a wonderful tool, whether you’re doing it for yourself or helping others. It’s a way of living a life fully alive.

“God beholds us with the same soft gaze with which the adoring mother beholds her sleeping infant. If we could look at ourselves with the same quality of compassion, how much healing could take place in our souls?” The Road Back to You Study Guide.

Anything keeping you from making this journey?