Podcast: Transform Your Life with the Enneagram (with Teresa McCloy)
How well do you truly know yourself? If you and I were really honest, we would have to admit we probably don’t know ourselves as well as we think. Self-knowledge is critical if we are going to do the work we are called to do. On today’s episode, our guest walks us through the Enneagram, a fantastic tool to help us know ourselves, impact the world, and do better creative work.
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I’m excited to share this conversation with my friend Teresa McCloy, who is a coach, consultant and professional speaker. Teresa uses her REALIFE Process™ and tools such as the Enneagram Typology Profile to help her clients move from living with their hair on fire to discovering clarity about the life they want to live and the process to make it happen. Teresa lives with her husband Dale on their third-generation family grain farm in south central Illinois.
On this episode, you’ll learn all about the amazing Enneagram assessment, how it can help you become more self-aware and creative, and specifically how artists and creatives can make use of it. You’ll also learn how the Enneagram can help you develop more empathy and improve your relationships … which can benefit all of us! Teresa also talks a bit about her journey as an entrepreneur and how she structures her business.
Teresa has also made available her REALIFE Typing Guide for Born to Create podcast listeners. Download it here.
Also, be sure to check out Teresa’s podcast, The Enneagram in Your REALIFE.
Episode Highlights
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- What the Enneagram is, and why it’s valuable, and why it’s different than other personality assessments such as the DiSC and Myers-Briggs.
- How artists and creatives can interface with the Enneagram.
- Characteristics of the Enneagram types.
- How Teresa became interested in the Enneagram, and why it transformed her life.
- The value of knowing the types of people in your life.
- Why you don’t need to fix other people.
- Teresa’s REALIFE process, and how it can benefit you.
- The value of having multiple streams of income as an entrepreneur.
Key Takeaways
1. Knowing yourself is a critical part of fulfilling your creating calling.
This entails having the self-awareness to know our strengths, personality, and giftedness. The Enneagram is a fantastic tool to begin knowing ourselves and how we relate to the world at a deeper level.
2. While knowing yourself is critical, you cannot stay “stuck” in your type.
I’m a Type 5, which means, among other things, that I draw my strength from being alone. When I’m interacting with people for extended periods of time, I feel drained and need to withdraw. However, I must grow and expand my capacities so I can become the person God intends me to be, instead of making the excuse, “people drain me.” Whatever your type, you can always grow in grace and the ability to relate to others in a healthier way.
3. We must learn to appreciate people who are different than us.
For example, my wife and son are very much alike in their personalities, but they are very different from me. Chances are high that you live and work with people of various personality types as well. It’s easy to see ourselves as the “ideal” personality type, but all of us are incomplete without others to complement us, and vice-versa. We must learn to develop more empathy for others and appreciate them for who they are.
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