a couple of years ago, a coworker of mine introduced me to enneagrams.  she was ranting and raving about it and said that it was the most accurate personality assessment she had ever taken.  she gave me an abundance of literature on each of the nine enneagram types.  to be honest, the literature was incredibly dense and there was no assessment attached for me to truly feel connected to one type or another.

fast forward to this past weekend – one of my dear friends (sarah aka lil’ spoon) was in town from the bay area.  she asked me what i knew about it and i told her the aforementioned.  she did a quick breakdown of the nine enneagram types and gave me a link to a quick an easy assessment.  in hearing some of the titles of the types, i thought some sounded more like me than others but was excited to take an assessment and get some additional clarification.

the enneagram is all about self-discovery and growth based on the nine types listed below.  it is supposed to highlight why you behave, feel or think in certain ways.  by knowing this information, the thought is that meaningful relationships can be built and continue to flourish with yourself, those around you and your spirituality.

9 enneagram type summaries:

1. moral (perfectionist)
2. supportive (advisor)
3. successful (achiever)
4. romantic (individualist)
5. investigative (thinker)
6. loyal (guardian)
7. entertaining (optimist)
8. protective (challenger)
9. peaceful (mediator)

before taking the assessment (which you can take for free here), lil’ spoon said she thought i was a 2, 5 or an 8.  the assessment took me less than 15 minutes, and my results were…

type 5 – the investigative thinker! lil’ spoon definitely knew what she was talking about.  she is pretty perceptive, especially as someone who has an advanced degree in social work.  while my entire summary is pictured below, i am going to highlight a few key points.  before i dive in, i will say that i felt it was pretty accurate, even the things about myself that don’t thrill me were not off base.

some of the things i liked that fit were being wise, compassionate, knowledgeable, independent and perceptive.  some of the things i did not like that also fit were being detached, uncompromising and high strung.  while i think i am making a conscious effort to work on some of the more negative traits, there was not much i read that did not ring true.  whether it was talking about my fears, my desires, what motivates me or what i do not want, i truly am a type 5.  read more about that breakdown below.

something to note is that you can have a primary type and then additional types that make up who you are.  i also have traces of 7 and 8 but definitely am more of a 5.

have you taken the enneagram assessment?  if so, what is your type?  did you feel it was accurate?

enjoy your weekend, lovelies.

xoxo,

k. tap

i have seen an abundance of posts in the last few weeks that touch on us entering the last 100 days of not just the year, but the decade.   many of them ask about how you’d like to spend those last days or weeks?  what kind of imprint would you like to leave?

i started to think about the last decade.  next, i narrowed it down to the last few years.  then, i thought about just the last year.  to say i have evolved would be an understatement.  in thinking about the shifts i have made to get to where i am, i thought both about how i had to get comfortable with the discomfort around change, and how choice played a substantial role.

“whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.  read that again.”

instagram really delivers some great content from time to time.

what haven’t i changed that i am choosing?

i choose to not sleep as much as my body really needs and deserves.

i choose to tackle more on my own that what is necessary.

i choose to be a bit too critical of myself.

here’s the flip side of this quote:

i chose to challenge myself to a year of saying “no” followed by a year of removing the guilt around saying that word.

i chose to get my masters in a helping profession.

i chose to move back to los angeles to continue both to foster important relationships and build a life i could afford (sorry, bay area).

i chose to start this blog.

i chose to get some of this excess weight off (i will always be a big girl but i want to be a big, healthy girl).

i chose to end relationships that were never or no longer reciprocal.

i chose to prioritize my own mental health with the same dedication and intensity as i do when it is one of my clients.

i chose to choose me.

committing to change has been an even greater commitment to the betterment of myself.  while i am still a work in progress, i noticed that what i have not changed is much shorter than what i am currently choosing.

what are you changing?  what are you choosing?  the good, the bad and the ugly?

xoxo,

k. tap