Home > Work > The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
101 " What It’s Like to Be a One People have told me I can be overly critical and judgmental. I beat myself up when I make mistakes. I don’t feel comfortable when I try to relax. There is too much to be done. I don’t like it when people ignore or break the rules, like when the person in the fast lane at the grocery store has more items than allowed. Details are important to me. I often find that I’m comparing myself to others. If I say I’ll do it, I’ll do it. It is hard for me to let go of resentment. I think it is my responsibility to leave the world better than I found it. I have a lot of self-discipline. I try to be careful and thoughtful about how I spend money. It seems to me that things are either right or wrong. I spend a lot of time thinking about how I could be a better person. Forgiveness is hard for me. I notice immediately when things are wrong or out of place. I worry a lot. I am really disappointed when other people don’t do their part. I like routine and don’t readily embrace change. I do my best when working on a project, and I wish others would do the same, so I wouldn’t have to redo their work. I often feel like I try harder than others to do things correctly. "
― Ian Morgan Cron , The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
102 " If you’re a One, you believe the only way you’ll know peace on the inside is if you perfect everything on the outside. It’s not true. That tranquility only comes when you surrender your compulsive need for perfection and stop stifling your emotions, particularly your anger. Don’t hide your true self behind that veneer of perceived perfection "
103 " But here’s one of the things I love about Ones. When healthy they are deeply committed to helping others become their absolute best. "
104 " It’s too bad your professor discouraged you from learning the Enneagram,” Br. Dave told me. “It’s full of wisdom for people who want to get out of their own way and become who they were created to be. "
105 " person does not need to be perfect to be good. "
106 " la moderación es una virtud, y no una orden de restricción. "
107 " May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful and eternal happening. May you learn to see your self with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment. "
108 " (Like Nines, Fives are able to see both sides to things, but because they’re not worried about causing conflict they’ll shoot straight up with you.) "
109 " When your inner critic activates, smile and tell it you hear it and appreciate how it’s trying to help you improve or avoid making mistakes, but you’re taking a new path to self-acceptance in life. "
110 " Average Ones have judging and comparing minds that naturally spot errors and imperfections. They struggle to accept that imperfection is inevitable while fearing the tyranny of that critical voice in their head. "
111 " catch the people you love doing things right—and tell them how much you appreciate them for it. "
112 " If you find yourself procrastinating, think about the reason why. Are you reluctant to get going on a task or project because you’re afraid you won’t be able to accomplish it perfectly? "
113 " What we don’t know about ourselves can and will hurt us, not to mention others,” he said, pointing his finger at me and then at himself. “As long as we stay in the dark about how we see the world and the wounds and beliefs that have shaped who we are, we’re prisoners of our history. We’ll continue going through life on autopilot doing things that hurt and confuse ourselves and everyone around us. Eventually we become so accustomed to making the same mistakes over and over in our lives that they lull us to sleep. We need to wake up. "
114 " Forgive yourself and others for mistakes. Everyone makes them. "
115 " See whether you can catch yourself measuring yourself against others to see who does a better job, works harder or meets your definition of success. "
116 " What’s important for us to learn as we study the Enneagram is that we can’t change the way we see, only what we do with what we see. "
117 " Sooner or later we must distinguish between what we are not and what we are. We must accept the fact that we are not what we would like to be. We must cast off our false, exterior self like the cheap and showy garment that it is . "
118 " From the time they get up to the time they lie down, Ones perceive a world rife with errors and feel a bounden duty to correct it. "
119 " To borrow a quote from the British mathematician George Box, “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” That’s how I see the Enneagram. It is not infallible or inerrant. It is not the be-all and end-all of Christian spirituality. At best, it is an imprecise model of personality . . . but it’s very useful. "
120 " Why don’t people care as much as I do? Do I have to do everything myself? It’s not fair. "