Underneath Your Personality: Discover Greater Well-Being Through Deep Living With the Enneagram

Learning to edit the ego code’s inner rules and logic can give us the freedom to use new approaches that honor who we are at our core. Here’s what that might look like using the previous example:

The practice of being judgment-free builds our capacity to fully accept ourselves as human.

Sometimes our personalities get covered with a shiny coat of expectations that don’t necessarily reflect what’s happening underneath.

in stark contrast to actively trying to fix something or make yourself better? Instead of pushing for change, it involves relaxing into yourself—not holding onto your ideas about who you think you are so tightly. You may notice that your heart begins to open more as your body releases some of its tension.

supposed to be—based on our life experiences, our internal neuro-wiring, our career choices, and input from the people around us. Our sense of self can become distorted (either inflated or deflated), and it often doesn’t match what is real.

The problem with all these personality labels is that they are inherently limiting. We start to live within the narrow walls of who we think we’re

These type-related beliefs are the central operating principles that shape who we think we are and how we respond to life. Unfortunately, the patterns that stem from these inaccurate core beliefs feel like reality to us when, in fact, they are self-limiting habits that perpetuate a myth. They are giving us a false sense of what is actually true.

Inner Critic Message: “You are responsible for making sure everyone gets along and feels happy. Don’t blow it!” Resulting Thought: “If I express my real opinion on this topic, it will start a huge argument. I don’t want to rock the boat, so I won’t say anything.”

unconscious filters that only accept supporting information. Regrettably, that means these filters miss and dismiss data that would otherwise provide alternative perspectives. Information that doesn’t fit our core belief patterns is subliminally discarded.