Wednesday, January 2, 2019

I'm A Servant - What Enneagram Type Are You?

I am a sucker for personality tests.  I love learning more about not only myself, but reading about others as well.  What makes people tick, what types of people get along best vs what types of people should avoid each other if can be, what career paths are best for certain types of people, how different people love, see the world, etc.

Awhile back my friend/coach Brittany posted about the Enneagram test & I obviously had to take it.  I then saw it blow up on social media as the new in test.  Seeing as how I just took the Myers-Briggs test not that long ago, & this is the lastest trending personality test, it seemed like a good place to start on my theme of "Transform" for the year.  Especially with the first sub-topic being mindset.  What better way to understand & transform the way I think than by first learning more about my personality & then using that knowledge in my favor.

I used Eclectic Energies to find out my type.

Enneagram Types

My Enneagram Type is a 2 with 1 being my wing, aka 2w1

Type 2 is also known as "The Helper."  When the 1, "The Reformer," becomes the wing, the 2w1 type is known as "The Servant" or "The Altruist."

enneagram 2w1enneagram 2w1

Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs. At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

Enneagram Type 2

So how does knowing that help me to "Transform my mindset?"

Personal Growth Recommendations
for Enneagram Type Twos

  • First and foremost, remember that if you are not addressing your own needs, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to meet anyone else's needs without problems, underlying resentments, and continual frustration. Further, you will be less able to respond to people in a balanced way if you have not gotten adequate rest, and taken care of yourself properly. It is not selfish to make sure that you are okay before attending to others' needs—it is simply common sense.
  • Try to become more conscious of your own motives when you decide to help someone. While doing good things for people is certainly an admirable trait, when you do so because you expect the other person to appreciate you or do something nice for you in return, you are setting yourself up for disappointments. Your type has a real danger of falling into unconscious codependent patterns with loved ones, and they almost never bring you what you really want.
  • While there are many things you might want to do for people, it is often better to ask them what they really need first. You are gifted at accurately intuiting others' feelings and needs, but that does not necessarily mean that they want those needs remedied by you in the way you have in mind. Communicate your intentions, and be willing to accept a "no thank you." Someone deciding that they do not want your particular offer of help does not mean that they dislike you or are rejecting you.
  • Resist the temptation to call attention to yourself and your good works. After you have done something for others, do not remind them about it. Let it be: either they will remember your kindness themselves and thank you in their own way or they will not. Your calling attention to what you have done for them only puts people on the spot and makes them feel uneasy. It will not satisfy anyone or improve your relationships.
  • Learn to recognize the affection and good wishes of others, even when these are not in terms that you are familiar with. Although others may not express their feelings in a way that you want, they may be letting you know in other ways how much they care about you. If you can recognize what others are giving you, you will rest more easily in the knowledge that you really are loved. Love is always available but only to the degree that we are present and therefore receptive to it.


I want to know what your Enneagram type is!  And how do our types mesh together?  Let me know!

5 comments:

  1. Im a sucker for personality tests also. Ill try this one out later today.

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  2. I'm Type 1, the Reformer. Perfectionist with an eye for detail, impatient, critical, uncompromising, but very loyal. Yes to all of the above :)

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  3. I love personality tests too! I'm a 9- The Peacemaker. Good luck using this info to transform your mindset!

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  4. I know I read about the Enneagram eons ago and I can't remember what I am... and I definitely don't remember any of this "wing" business, haha. I guess I'm going to have to get my book back out! I love that quote about the Enneagram showing you the box you're already in. I think that's true of a lot of things in the self-help/therapy realm. Once you have more awareness of yourself and your thoughts and actions, you can use that knowledge to your advantage.

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  5. I'm a 2w1, too!! I think this is an especially true statement of my shortcomings: Although others may not express their feelings in a way that you want, they may be letting you know in other ways how much they care about you.

    I think these tests are so interesting. A few years ago, I did a staff retreat where we dissected some of this stuff and it helped us better understand where people were coming from and created a more cohesive team. This might be a fun one to do, too!

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