Life Doesn’t Need More Shoulds. It Needs More Self-Awareness.
Find clarity with the Enneagram in your life and career.
Real Talk: Enneagram 2 in the Wild.
This week one of my clients “graduated”. We had worked together for six months. She originally came to me feeling stuck and unsure of her next steps. She had been questioning which roles were truly right for her. After our time together, she left with clarity and a new connection to herself, her values and increased confidence.
She is an Enneagram 2. She thought being the “helper” was who she had to be, at work and at home. But the truth? She was burnt out, disconnected from herself, and stuck in multiple caregiving roles that left her feeling like if she didn’t find something new right away she would fade into the background and be left without purpose. In the Enneagram world that is called being oversaturated in your strengths. Too much of a good thing. In this case, too much people pleasing. Too much helping.
Now, with clarity and confidence, she knows that her purpose is to lead from a place of connection but she no longer confuses her worth with constant giving. She wants a role that honors her first. One where she can be deeply connected to her own desires, then show up for others from a place of wholeness not obligation. Helping is no longer her identity. It’s a choice.
Here are 3 ways that you can use the Enneagram to bring clarity to your business, career or next steps (the way it worked for my client):
1. Identify Your Core Motivation, Not Just Behavior
Understanding why you do things (your Enneagram type’s core drive) helps you cut through confusion. Are you trying to prove your worth (type 3), do the right thing (type 1) or find meaning (type 4)?
2. Recognize Your Pattern Under Stress
Each type has a predictable pattern when under pressure. Knowing yours lets you spot when you’re acting from fear or avoidance. Making decisions from this place will not serve you. Know your type, know your fear. (Usually your core fear is opposite of your motivation. Type 7 is motivated by freedom, core fear is being confined!)
3. Tap into Your Type’s Superpower How do you make sense of the world? Through logic? Through emotion? Through action? We all know that certain careers lend themselves to each of those lenses. Identify your superpower and watch the walls come down.
How to use the Enneagram to find clarity by your type:
Type 1 Perfectionist (Motivation is to do the right thing)
Clarity comes when they release perfection and trust that progress is enough.
Type 2 Helper (Motivation is to be liked and appreciated)
They find clarity by tuning into their own needs before tending to others.
Type 3 Achiever (Motivation is to succeed)
Clarity comes when they pause the hustle and ask, “What do I truly want?”
Type 4 Creative (Motivation is to be unique)
They find clarity by grounding in the present instead of chasing meaning through emotion.
Type 5 Specialist (Motivation is to understand)
Clarity emerges when they step out of their head, connect with others and jump into real-life experiences.
Type 6 Loyalist (Motivation is to feel safe )
They find clarity by being in action, not second guessing everything and trusting their inner knowing versus external reassurance.
Type 7 Enthusiast (Motivation is to experience it all)
Clarity comes when they slow down long enough to feel what’s underneath the excitement.
Type 8 Controller (Motivation is to be in control)
They find clarity by softening their defenses and listening deeply to others and even to themselves.
Type 9 Peacekeeper (Motivation is to be in harmony)
Clarity appears when they stop avoiding conflict and start naming what they want.
Enneagram Clarity Edits:
Looking for more clarity using a daily ritual? Pick up this meditation and intuitive deck from Inner Compass. Draw a card each morning to set the tone for the day. Perfect for all Enneagram types.
Ready to find even more clarity and understand why you do what you do? Book my 90-minute Enneagram Deep Dive, we’ll uncover the patterns driving your decisions, business and relationships, and map out what freedom and clarity actually looks like for you. Walk away with deeper self-awareness and practical tools, and a renewed connection to who you truly are. Perfect for those who are sick of spinning their wheels and want real support. Use the code SUBSTACK20 to get 20% off your session.
And finally, if clarity in vision is what you need, I love these readers by Caddis. Yes, I have some cheapo ones floating around as well, but the quality and fit is so great I find that I can’t live without them.
If you are new to the Enneagram:
The Enneagram measures motivation. Why you do the things you do. The Enneagram doesn’t tell you who you are. It shows you how you’ve been surviving, and what it’ll take to actually thrive. It is your default behavior, your blindspots, and your unconscious habits that get in the way of what you truly want.
Learn about the Enneagram:
Take a free test
Read type descriptions
This week’s challenge:
Ask yourself why. Be curious about your life. Why am I pursuing this career? Why am I taking this trip? Why do I feel tired in the morning? Why did I say yes to that dinner?Why is my relationship with my partner strained? Why do I feel empty inside? THEN ask yourself “What do I want to do about it?”. Simple yet so effective.
See you next week,
Ali