Nothing is new, except me.
As I sat on my bed, one quiet, sunny Austin afternoon, I looked around my new room, in my new city, with all of my things in their new place. Deep breath. "Ah, I made it." I thought. Deep breath. Silence. Anxiety. "Uh oh, everything feels the same. Did I make a mistake? Am I expecting a different result this time? Am I fooling myself?" I thought.
For most of my life I found myself in the same frustrating scenarios. I’d move cities, change jobs, start a new relationship thinking this time will be different. I won’t end up stuck in THAT job, fight or situation again. I moved to Austin in 2015 - everything was new: new nursing job, new relationship, new house, new roommates, new city to explore. And everything was new, except me.
So, I quickly repressed the thoughts signaling to me on the bed perhaps this new move wasn't going to make my life miraculously easier. Besides, it is just way easier to continue the same patterns over and over again hoping for a different result than to actually do the hard inner work leading to real peace and freedom. Right?
How many times have you found yourself thinking, "I'm not the one who needs changing. They do." Or how about responding to someone with, "Nah, that approach doesn't work for me." Or maybe, "Why don't they see what I see?" If you're anything like me, you've thought all of those things thousands of times. And I don't blame you. We all seem to hold a collective ideal that "the world is made of many uniquely different and beautiful types of people and perspectives" while at the same time believing all of them should be thinking, feeling and acting the same way we do.
As a Registered Nurse and psychology major, I considered myself to be pretty educated in understanding the human experience in regards to holistic health and healing. But, I was resistant to looking in the mirror to acknowledge how my own behaviors may be the issue.
It wasn't until I was introduced to The Enneagram that I was able to see the common denominator in all of my challenges. I finally saw why this new job, new city, new relationship was going to ultimately yield the same frustrating results - because the common denominator was me.
The Enneagram is a powerful tool used to enhance your emotional intelligence and personal growth. Rooted in thousands of years of ancient wisdom, The Enneagram of Typology is a map of nine different types (and twenty-seven subtypes) of personalities that exist in our world. Finding your type helps you to identify, confront and accept your strengths and weaknesses.
The Enneagram has led me to greater awareness, healing and transformation both personally and relationally than any other tool. In an effort to make this tool for healing accessible and available to all individuals, I sought training to be a Certified Enneagram Coach. I launched Beyond Your Type, an Enneagram coaching + consulting business for individuals and teams who want to enhance their personal growth, deepen their relationships and access their true potential.
Deep breath. "Ah, I made it." I think. Everything feels different, yet nothing is new. Nothing is new, except me.
