Self Improvement In Enneagram Type 7 (A 5 Point Guide)

This article will look at how the type 7 enneagram can improve their own self by working on different aspects of their behaviour, feelings and thoughts hence improving their overall personality. It will also shine light on how an enneagram type 7 behaves when they are at their best and what it is that pushes them to improve themselves.

How Can An Enneagram Type 7 Achieve Self Improvement?

An enneagram type 7 can achieve self improvement by working on the following areas:

• Recognize Impulses
• Focus on Long Term Gains
• Listen To Other People
• Choose Quality
• Be Patient

Before we take a detailed look at these, we will explore what a type 7 enneagram is and what they are like when they are at their worst. This is necessary to understand why self improvement is so important for these individuals!

Enneagram Type 7: The Enthusiast

These individuals are versatile and spontaneous! They have a lot of energy in them and they like to be in high spirits! However, by continuously working themselves out, they can get tired and become exhausted and hence lose focus. They will become distracted and lose track of the goal they had in mind. It is obvious then that they have problems with impulsiveness and impatience.

Overall, these individuals are joyful and cheerful and that is what they emanate when they are around others. At their best, they want to focus on worthy goals that use their talents and strengths.

These enneagrams have been called enthusiasts because of the energy with which they approach the things in life that catch their eyes! They are like children who have a lot of energy, optimism and curiosity about the things that seem interesting to them. Furthermore, they are intelligent not in the sense of academics but in a way that they can process a lot of information and hence brainstorm in an effective manner. 

However, their ability to read and process much information and hence learn new skills can sometimes confuse them about what they are actually meant to do in life!

People with this personality type are hence energetic and always looking to have some fun in life. They are the ones who will grab you by the arm and engage you in fun activities. They are that friend who is always looking forward to trying something new! They have a form of energy that is rare to find but uplifting. People who are type 7s are always trying to pull their friends into their adventures because they believe the more the merrier!

Basic Fear

The basic fear of this enneagram type is to be in pain. They absolutely hate pain and they do not want to be deprived in any manner. They will avoid situations where they might get hurt emotionally or physically because they do not want to deal with the experience or feeling of pain. However, because of this fear, they often miss out on worthwhile experiences.

However their fear of missing out does encourage them to take up routines that are not too structured and allow for last minute plans. They may even be unable to focus much on the task at hand because they are looking for a more interesting experience – one that will make them let go of what they are doing and scramble outside for some fun!

Hence, people with this personality type will always grab the opportunities they come across and will fit it into their timetable somehow because like said, they are scared of missing out!

Basic Desire

To be satisfied and fulfilled or content is the desire of this enneagram type 7. They want to feel complete and whole so that they do not have to rely on anyone else for their needs. It is also linked to their fear of being in pain and deprived. Hence, they strive to fulfill their needs in an independent manner and wish to be in a state that renders them safe.

At the same time, they do not want to miss out on joyful, stimulating and awesome experiences from life! They want to be part of the fun and seek excitement and joy from what they are doing. They want to feel happy and this leads them to oftentime justify or rationalize their negative feelings in a way that they are responsible for how they feel – even if it isn’t their own fault!

So if you have a friend with this personality type, you can count on them to make sure the both of you never miss an awesome party!

Type 7s – Unhealthy Behaviours 

When in stress, the type 7 enneagram disintegrates into an inflexible type 1 enneagram which is intolerant and holds people to extremely high standards. The type 7 enneagram under stress will behave in a similar manner and also lose the ability to see other’s perspectives and only view the world from an ethnocentric one where what they do or believe in is only right!

This enneagram becomes offensive towards others in the sense that they say what they feel like saying without taking into account the other person’s feelings because they know what is best. Furthermore, they believe that they know what is best and hence have the right to tell people what to do and how. The stress really gets to their head and this is one of the ways they deal with it – they think they know what is best and hence have the responsibility of ensuring good things happen in the world.

Here are some of the traits or behaviours they exhibit when they go into stress:

• Demeaning
• Depressed
• Quiet or Talkative
• Perfectionistic
• Inflexible

How Can An Enneagram Type 7 Achieve Personal Growth?

In this section we will take a look at how the type 7 enneagram can improve their own selves.

Recognize Impulses

It is important for the type 7 enneagram to realize what makes them weak. They need to feel their impulses in a way that they can identify them and hence take control of their own self. If they are able to do this they can prevent themselves from getting stuck in a lot of bad situations and hence increase their self control and make the right decisions and increase their quality of life.

Focus on Long Term Gains

Sometimes the type 7 will choose to get quick benefits or quick pleasure. They won’t take the long route that has so much more to give them. They need to learn how to choose the right option even if it means they have to wait longer.

Listen To Other People

Although it is usually said to go your own way ahead in the journey, there is no harm in listening to others advice; even if you don’t intend to use it it can help you generate better or more creative ideas.

Here are some recommendations from “The Enneagram Institute”!

Choose Quality

Always choose quality over quantity, especially in your experiences. The ability to have experiences of quality can be learned only by giving your full attention to the experience you are having now. If you keep anticipating future experiences, you will keep missing the present one and undermine the possibility of ever being satisfied.

Be Patient

You do not have to have everything at this very moment. That tempting new acquisition will most likely still be available tomorrow (this is certainly true of food, alcohol, and other common gratifications—that ice cream cone, for instance). Most good opportunities will come back again—and you will be in a better position to discern which opportunities really are best for you.

Conclusion

The article took a look at how type 7 enneagrams can improve their personal growth by working on 5 major areas. The article also appraised the audience of why it is so important for this type to focus on personal growth by highlighting their ‘dark’ side and its effects on others. Lastly, the article provided a brief introduction to type 7 enneagrams.

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