Tag: self-awareness

REVIEW: Enneagram in Real Life by Stephanie Barron Hall

REVIEW: Enneagram in Real Life by Stephanie Barron Hall

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HarperOne in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

The book kicks off with the author’s personal journey with the Enneagram – from an example of the unhealthy pace of life that led to burn out to describing how learning and then teaching the Enneagram helped her grow in self-awareness and develop healthier strategies for life. The writing pulled me in immediately – I felt her exhaustion and rooted for her to find – or build – a different path.

The goal of this resource is to answer the question, “I know my type but what do I do with it?” And the author clearly states “passively absorbing information won’t move the needle.” This book is a call to action for readers.  It’s got a new-to-me take on appraching the Enneagram with social identifiers and cultural contexts in mind that I found fascinating. The author also explains her idea of “thresholds” and doesn’t shy away from exploring subtypes, even with beginners. This includes practices that work for all types as well as targeted recommendations by type.

I loved the emphasis here on actions to take. And they aren’t just at the end of a chapter but throughout the entire book, including multiple parts of each chapter for the specific types. This feels like it could be a good early resource – although I would still have folks start with The Road Back to You first. But this is a fantastic follow up for newbies and ALSO a great resource for folks asking the author’s question – “I know my type – now what?” I immediately bought my own copy of this after I finished reading, and I am eager to dive back in and try all of the practices. Highly recommend.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: The Story of You by Ian Morgan Cron

REVIEW: The Story of You by Ian Morgan Cron

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HarperOne in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Ian Cron’s new book is a great second-tier Enneagram resource, and a perfect what-to-read-next for fans of The Road Back to You. In this book, Ian shares stories from his friends and podcast guests and shows how the stories we grow up telling ourselves about the ways we need to deal with the world to stay safe or feel loved can become dysfunctional. Then he helps each type see the way to a new story to embrace in a move toward more health and wholeness.

I don’t always want to read every number’s portion of a new Enneagram resource, but this one is so engaging and delightfully conversational, it’s almost like reading fiction. I was afraid to skip a number and miss out on a great story! There are fun, and insightful pop-culture and literary references that brilliantly illustrate points Ian is trying to make to each number. And the Typology podcast ends up being both a foundation and a follow up to this book. Many of the stories shared here came from the podcast, and readers have episode references so they can go back to those episodes for more content. It’s pretty clever organization!

The breezy tone and sense of sharing stories and coffee with a friend will make this a great resource for folks ready to go a little deeper in their Enneagram journey. The faith references in this felt genuine and natural and never overpowering or manipulative or intrusive. I was delighted by the whole book and highly recommend it for my friends doing personal work with the Enneagram. I am looking forward to holding my own copy soon and highlighting and underlining and making notes in this great new book

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up by Chestnut and Paes

REVIEW: The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up by Chestnut and Paes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and a print copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

I have read a lot of Enneagram resources over the last 4-5 years, but I think this is the first one that has felt like the chapter for my type was written expressly for me. I don’t know if that is a commentary on the quality of this book or the fact that one of the authors shares my number. It might even just be the perfect intersection of this resource and my journey with myself and the Enneagram. But I feel seen and understood and called out at a whole new level with this resource. Each section – and sometimes each paragraph – ties perfectly to something I am experiencing or recognizing. It’s almost too much on target.

The book opens with a brief introduction, but the bulk of it is focused on each of the 9 types. The type chapters start with a brief narrative about little One or Six and the journey to type behaviors and reactions. This piece for my type was different than anything I have read before. I rarely identify with childhood references to my type, but reading this, I felt like someone was in my mind and heart as a kid.

The chapters all follow a pattern – the narrative, a list of common traits, patterns, passions, wings, shadow sides, blind spots, etc. Having read a lot of resources, I am used to the content starting to sound the same. This felt like a fresh take on things I have read – nuances and insights I hadn’t caught or heard expressed in such a way before.

The overall premise of the book is developing enough self-awareness through the Enneagram to “wake up.” Too often we operate in “zombie mode,” letting our personalities lead while we try to secure what we crave through these patterns that rarely work as we want them to. And that idea of raising self-awareness to the point of making healthier patterns really appeals to me.

This is going to the top of my Enneagram resources list along with The Road Back to You, Millenneagram, The Enneagram Goes to Church, and Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram. You can read more reviews and discussion of Enneagram resources here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!