Why Enneagram Coaching? — FreedomCoaching
Some questions I receive too often to ignore…why the Enneagram? Why create a business around a personality assessment? How would you even make money off of that? What even is the Enneagram? Do you expect this to be more than a side hustle? How did you get an enneagram coaching certification?
Cue the judgement and doubt from others. I can feel it. I think any entrepreneur who is stepping into something new is going to feel it. Starting a business isn’t easy. Starting a business isn’t something that just anyone can do. You have to believe in your business more than anyone else in the world. Because you know what? Some days you may be the only one believing in it at all. I want to answer some of these questions for curious minds.
Why the Enneagram? I chose to create a business around the Enneagram because it changed my life. A couple years ago I was really struggling with my mental health. I was in a job where I felt that I had no autonomy, I was being micromanaged at every turn, I felt isolated from my friends and I couldn’t figure out how to get myself out of this season. I was angry all of the time and I was working entirely too much. Enter the Enneagram. When I took the Enneagram test from Your Enneagram Coach things finally started to click. I identify as an Enneagram 8 which means I like to be in control, I don’t like being told what to do and I isolate when I am feeling hurt or scared. OH HOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE! The lack of autonomy in my job and the micromanaging made me feel like I had zero control…hence the anger. In addition, I have learned through therapy and the Enneagram that anger is my safe emotion. Whether it is masking fear, grief, sadness…anger is going to be the emotion I show. There were so many things going on in that season of my life and on the other side of it I know that I was feeling all sorts of emotions. As an Enneagram 8 I have also learned why vulnerability is so difficult for me and why I tend to isolate myself when I am afraid. So the isolation I was feeling from friendships was my own doing, adding to the stress and the negative feelings. Anyway, through all of this new found self awareness I was able to put words around my feelings as well as my actions, and I was able to implement strategies to help get me on a healthier track. So why the Enneagram? Because the Enneagram gave me renewed understanding, hope and control when I was severely lacking all three.
Why create a business around a personality assessment? Why not? If the Enneagram was able to bring me so much freedom, then why wouldn’t I want others to experience that same level of health and freedom? The more I learned the more I wanted to learn. I went to conferences, followed Instagram accounts, read books, listened to podcasts, etc. There was so much that I wanted to know. And like any good researcher (self proclaimed), I knew that once I learned all of these things I needed to tell the world about them.
What even is the Enneagram? The Enneagram is a nine point personality assessment that focuses on the core motivations that drive your thoughts and actions. The Enneagram Institute has a lot of really good information for beginners if you’re interested. According to the Enneagram, each person has one main type that they identify with. Each of the nine types have a set of core motivations that are the driving force behind why they act and react the way that they do to any given situation. The core motivations are made up of your core fears, desires, weakness and what your heart is longing to hear. If you’re interested in finding out more about your type, send me an email and I will send you a FREE Enneagram Typing Workbook.
Do you expect this to be more than a side hustle? We live in a world of side hustles. In fact, “Nearly 70 percent of people who become “side hustlers” are doing so for financial reasons, according to a new report by automated investing platform Betterment.” Extra income, saving up to go on a trip, paying down debt, an innovative idea…the reasons for a “side hustle” are not in short supply. So many SAH mommas, budding entrepreneurs, singer/songwriters, writers, actors, etc have “side hustles”. Here are my thoughts on the concept…if you are putting your time, effort and money into it then IT IS A JOB NOT A SIDE HUSTLE. You are working hard for something that you want. You don’t get to diminish the quality of someone’s work and time simply because it is not their main source of income. *end rant Yes, I have a regular paying salary job. Yes, I make less money with this brand new business than I do with my salary job (for now). But no, I do not intend for it to be like this forever. I am confident in my services and even more so in my ability to work hard for what I want. Mark my words, one day Freedom Coaching will be so successful that it will be my only source of income.
Last question for today… How did you get an Enneagram certification? I received my Enneagram certification from Your Enneagram Coach. They offered a 12-week intensive course that taught me everything Enneagram. After I completed the course, I took an assessment to make sure that I was equipped and ready to coach others. YEC’s coaching course only opens twice a year (I think) so if you’re interested in becoming a coach for yourself then opt in to be notified when registration opens back up. The course was thorough, informative and I could go at my own pace which I appreciated. I would highly suggest it to anyone who is interested in becoming an Enneagram coach.
Originally published at https://www.freedomcoaching.online on November 19, 2020.
