In this year it’s often been hard to see the passing of time or check off any benchmarks; many of our days have all looked the same for months, which can make it difficult to see progress or set goals or even just feel time passing. Despite all of these challenges, the New Year can still offer the perfect opportunity both literally and symbolically to start over fresh; it’s a chance to wave goodbye to this past year and look toward the future with intention and hope. If you’re looking for a new goal or meditation to take on for the coming year, why not start by looking at your Enneagram? Your Enneagram type can offer so many insights into your deeper needs and outlook, and that makes it a great tool for creating intentions for yourself.
If you don’t know your Enneagram type you can take the free test here and read more about each type here.
Type 1: Embrace Imperfection.
Enneagram Type 1s tend to have a need for completion and can think of their goals, ambitions and daily lives in somewhat rigid terms. This tendency to check off boxes can make you feel uncomfortable in grey areas where there’s no clear end date or benchmarks, but these grey areas can have a lot to offer. Try making some more subjective goals this year, whether it’s learning an instrument or getting outside more or being more open in communication and see that even goals that don’t fit into boxes can add value to your life.
Type 2: Be Upfront About Your Expectations.
A lot of times as an Enneagram Type 2, you’ll hear that your fatal flaw is that you care too much about others and don’t speak up enough about your own needs. This is completely true and something you should always watch out for; Type 2s are often quite sacrificial and this can be a strength and a weakness. However, what’s often forgotten when we talk about Type 2s is that there’s another dimension to their selfless acts. You think of others often, but truthfully you’ve probably noted when someone doesn’t do the same for you more than once. 2s gauge how much they are loved by how others reciprocate their affection, as do many of us, but they rarely make this expectation known. 2s might shy away from letting their loved ones know about these expectations out of a fear of looking selfish or high maintenance. While this is admirable, being upfront about your own needs, and your expectations, is truly a gift you can give others as well as your self. It can help your loved ones to care for you more effectively and precisely.
3. Define Your Own Image of Success.
Enneagram Type 3s have a super-powered ability to excel wherever they find themselves, but often have a tendency to define success on others’ terms. Spend some time thinking about what your best self would look like to you and only you and reflect on what you would be doing if you had only yourself to impress. Would anything be different? See where that line of thought leads you and notice the places it contrasts goals or images you’ve pursued in the past.
4. Embrace Your Connections As Well As Your Individuality.
Thoughtful, intense, and deeply individualistic, Type 4s have a need to separate themselves from everyone else and demonstrate their uniqueness. The emphasis on individuality can also leave you feeling isolated. Meditate on the ways you are similar to others, even if it feels threatening at first. Finding common ground with others doesn’t make you less special and it might help you feel less alone in challenging times.
5. Prioritize Needs Other Than Self-Preservation
As an Enneagram Type 5, you have a deep passion for accruing knowledge and storing it for later. This can also be your approach to other resources, including your time and energy. 5s tend to approach the world from a place of self-protection, worrying that others might try to take something away from them. This new year, try thinking about what you have to gain from the world instead. If you haven’t prioritized physical experiences as much as mental ones, try making a pact to visit a beautiful path or trail once a week or start doing yoga. If you’ve been neglecting your relationships, try investing in them and see if they leave you with more than you had instead of less.
6. Strive To Look Beyond Your First Impressions.
Because you often seek security above everything, you can have a tendency towards thinking in black and white and trying to label things as good or bad right away. This is handy for survival but not always necessary- open yourself up to learn more about a person or situation before forming a snap judgement and notice that you do often have time to come to more informed conclusions instead of running with your first instinct.
7. Embrace The Mundane
The Enthusiasts of the Enneagram, Type 7s love nothing more than the freedom to fly from one exciting experience to the next. While this means there’s rarely a dull moment, this impulse to speed past moments that are slow or uncomfortable (or boring!) can mean you might miss out on some experiences worth having. See how it feels to sit in moments that aren’t incredible or ineffable but are just simple or quiet or nice; if you treasure them, consider how you approach or prioritize experiences accordingly.
8. Consider the Value of Empathy in Your Relationships
If you’re an Enneagram Type 8, you’ve likely prided yourself on calling others out for their B.S. in the past. 8s can see themselves as the ones who call things as they see them which can cause them to view others who hedge or speak vaguely as “fake.” Yes, honesty and candor are important and admirable traits, but the best path forward might not always require these at full power. Sometimes, it can be better to let someone go uninterrogated for any number of reasons where confronting them might not be kind or constructive. There’s a difference between acting fake and acting with kindness and empathy, and some situations might call for a less blunt approach.
9. Create and Protect Your Boundaries
Type 9s are called Mediators for a reason. You’re extremely talented at accommodating others and repressing any parts of yourself that could cause conflict; this makes you an excellent friend but can often put you in situations where others ask too much of you without thinking. Because 9s are so used to becoming what they need to be for others, they can grow numb to the voice inside stating their own needs— try to make it a priority to listen to and stand up for this voice when it asks for space, time, or the option to say no. Setting boundaries with others can be scary, but your needs are as valid as anyone else’s.
The New Year is always a great opportunity to evaluate where we’ve come from and look toward the future, conceiving of a better, more realized version of ourselves. This could be the perfect time to hear what the Enneagram is trying to tell you and use it to inform another year of growth, learning and evolution.
To read more about the Enneagram, find more stories here.
