In our last post, we explored the Comfort Zone versus the Opportunity Zone—how the familiar, though soothing, can become a prison of predictability, and how the Enneagram’s Three Centers of Intelligence can help us expand into new freedom.

But to move forward with courage, we must first understand what holds us back.

Each Enneagram type lives within a comfort zone shaped not just by habits, but by deeply embedded emotional patterns—often unconscious. These patterns protect us, but they also limit us.

But beneath the strategies of control, identity, and fear, each of us holds the seed of something sacred: a Holy Idea—a core truth that reconnects us to the flow of reality and purpose.

When we take the risk to move from the comfort zone to the Opportunity Zone, we don’t just grow—we remember who we truly are.

Here’s how each type can make that shift—and what they may discover on the other side.

Type 1 – Anger Turned Inward → Holy Perfection / Holy Order

Comfort Zone: Rigid self-control, striving for “rightness.”
To Release: The belief that love depends on being correct or good.
To Add:
Allow yourself to enjoy something “unproductive.”
Laugh at your own mistakes with kindness.
Break one small rule—and see what happens.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of constant self-correction for the opportunity zone of self-acceptance, Ones begin to glimpse Holy Perfection—a spacious inner order where everything, including themselves, belongs as it is.

Type 2 – Identity through Being Needed → Holy Freedom / Holy Will

Comfort Zone: Pleasing others to feel loved.
To Release: The need to earn love through helpfulness.
To Add:
Say “no” without an explanation.
Share a personal need or desire—even if it feels selfish.
Schedule alone time with no agenda but self-nourishment.

What This Unlocks:
As Twos exit the comfort zone of constant giving and step into the opportunity zone of self-ownership, they begin to access Holy Will—the sense that their true value doesn’t come from being needed, but from simply being themselves within a divine flow.

Type 3 – Identity through Image → Holy Hope / Holy Harmony

Comfort Zone: Achieving for approval, adapting image to succeed.
To Release: The belief that you must perform to be valued.
To Add:
Share a failure or struggle publicly—or with someone close.
Engage in something for pure joy, not for results.
Spend a day unplugged from all metrics of success.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of performance and stepping into the opportunity zone of authenticity allows Threes to experience Holy Harmony—a profound realization that they are loved and valuable not for what they do, but for who they are.

Type 4 – Identity through Feeling Different → Holy Origin

Comfort Zone: Emotional intensity, longing, self-distinction.
To Release: The belief that suffering makes you special.
To Add:
Name what’s going well—especially when you feel something’s missing.
Spend time with simple, joyful routines—even when they feel emotionally neutral.
Celebrate someone’s success—then notice what it brings up in you.

What This Unlocks:
By moving out of the comfort zone of longing and into the opportunity zone of presence and gratitude, Fours reconnect with Holy Origin—the felt truth that they are whole, included, and perfectly placed in the fabric of life.

Type 5 – Fear of Depletion → Holy Omniscience

Comfort Zone: Withholding energy, isolating in the mind.
To Release: The belief that you must conserve or protect your inner resources.
To Add:
Say “yes” to a group experience without overthinking it.
Speak your thoughts before they feel perfectly researched.
Ask for help or connection—even when it feels exposing.

What This Unlocks:
Leaving the comfort zone of detachment and scarcity-thinking allows Fives to enter the opportunity zone of deep participation. Here, they begin to experience Holy Omniscience—not as information hoarding, but as trust in being part of a larger, intelligent field of life.

Type 6 – Fear of Chaos → Holy Faith

Comfort Zone: Vigilance, second-guessing, loyalty to systems or people for security.
To Release: The belief that certainty is required before action.
To Add:
Act from courage, not certainty—choose based on values, even with doubt.
Build self-trust by honoring small commitments to yourself.
Take relational risks by revealing vulnerability without testing loyalty.

What This Unlocks:
Moving beyond the comfort zone of hyper-vigilance into the opportunity zone of grounded self-trust, Sixes begin to relax into Holy Faith—a deep knowing that they are supported by life, and that their inner guidance is trustworthy.

Type 7 – Fear of Pain → Holy Work, Holy Plan

Comfort Zone: Avoidance of discomfort, escape into planning and pleasure.
To Release: The belief that freedom means avoiding limits or pain.
To Add:
Stay present with an emotion instead of moving on.
Complete a task or commitment before starting a new one.
Practice silence for five minutes a day—no input, no distraction.

What This Unlocks:
Stepping out of the comfort zone of distraction and into the opportunity zone of grounded presence, Sevens begin to discover Holy Work and the Holy Plan—the joy of aligning with what is, rather than chasing what could be.

Type 8 – Anger as Protection → Holy Truth

Comfort Zone: Control, intensity, dominance to avoid vulnerability.
To Release: The belief that power keeps you safe.
To Add:
Admit when you feel hurt instead of defaulting to anger.
Let someone else lead, even if you disagree.
Explore tenderness—especially toward yourself.

What This Unlocks:
As Eights move beyond the comfort zone of armor and enter the opportunity zone of openness, they begin to live in alignment with Holy Truth—not personal dominance, but the deeper truth that includes strength and tenderness.

Type 9 – Anger Dissolved into Numbness → Holy Love / Holy Participation

Comfort Zone: Numbing out, avoiding conflict, merging.
To Release: The belief that your purpose is to prevent disruption.
To Add:
State your opinion before agreeing with others.
Say “no” to something that drains you.
Choose a personal goal and take daily action—even in small steps.

What This Unlocks:
Exiting the comfort zone of passivity and stepping into the opportunity zone of engaged presence allows Nines to embody Holy Participation—the knowing that their energy, voice, and presence are integral to the unfolding of life.

In summary

The comfort zone is where your personality works hard to keep you safe.
The opportunity zone is where your true self starts to show up.

Every time you move beyond an old habit or pattern, you take a step toward something more whole, more honest, and more free. That’s where the deeper wisdom of your type—the Holy Idea—begins to come alive.

So consider:
What am I ready to let go of, even if it feels uncomfortable?
What would it be like to trust that I’m already enough, already part of something bigger?

Change doesn’t have to be dramatic.
One small, intentional step can open a whole new way forward.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Moving from the Comfort Zone to the Opportunity Zone for each Enneagram Type appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

We all have a comfort zone—a psychological space where things feel safe, predictable, and under control. It’s the familiar routine, the emotional autopilot, the well-worn mental tracks we’ve been traveling for years. Inside this zone, risk is low, reassurance is high, and the status quo is quietly maintained.

But there’s a cost to staying too long in this safe place. Growth slows. Dreams stall. Life starts to shrink.

That’s where the Opportunity Zone beckons. It’s not about abandoning safety altogether—it’s about expanding your edges. The Opportunity Zone is where creativity flourishes, new possibilities arise, and you begin to fulfill aspirations that once felt just out of reach. It’s uncertain, yes—but it’s also vibrant, expansive, and deeply alive.

So how do we move from the comfort zone into the opportunity zone without getting overwhelmed?

The Enneagram offers a map. At its core are the Three Centers of Intelligence: the Head, the Heart, and the Body. Each of these centers gives us a unique way to both understand ourselves and stretch beyond what feels familiar.

The Head Center: Loosening the Grip of Certainty

The Head Center is the domain of thinking, planning, and imagining. When we’re stuck in our comfort zone here, we tend to overthink, worry, and cling to mental control.

Experiment:

• Ask yourself “What if…” questions. Let your imagination wander into new possibilities without needing certainty.
• Instead of planning every detail, try improvising your next decision—big or small.
• Explore unfamiliar ideas, books, or perspectives that challenge your usual way of thinking.

This mental stretching invites insight and opens you to new options you might have dismissed before.

The Heart Center: Expanding Emotional Range

The Heart Center is about feelings, connection, and identity. In our comfort zones, we often suppress or avoid emotions that feel vulnerable or unfamiliar.

Experiment:

• Reach out to someone you care about but rarely speak to. Surprise them—and yourself.
• Keep an emotional honesty journal: write about how you actually feel, not just what you think you should feel.
• Notice and shift one habitual emotional response (e.g., irritation, withdrawal, guilt).
• Gently challenge a projection: Ask yourself, “Am I sure they feel that way—or is that my story?”

Emotional growth often begins with small, courageous acts of honesty—with others and ourselves.

The Body Center: Trusting Instinct and Embodiment

The Body Center governs instinct, presence, and action. Stuck in the comfort zone here, we avoid risk, resist change, and cling to control through routine.

Experiment:

• Change one part of your daily routine—your route, your morning ritual, even your seat at the table.
• Wear something you never wear (yes, even that hat you’re unsure about).
• Try a new food or activity. Challenge your physical habits gently.
• Pay attention to something you usually ignore—your posture, your breath, your pace.

Small shifts in the body can unlock big shifts in awareness and energy.

Stepping In, One Small Risk at a Time

You don’t have to leap from your comfort zone into total chaos. In fact, lasting change often comes from small, intentional risks taken with care. The Opportunity Zone isn’t a single destination—it’s a practice of reaching toward what’s possible.

The Enneagram doesn’t just show us where we are—it shows us how we move. By engaging all three centers—head, heart, and body—you create a fuller, more integrated path for growth.

So today, ask yourself:
What small stretch can I take?
Where might my next opportunity lie, just beyond the edge of the familiar?

The edge is where the magic happens.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone with the 3 Centers of Intelligence appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

My recent blog, “What does it mean to be an Enneagram ‘expert’ or ’master’?” has received such high engagement on social media and from all over the world, that I wanted to share many of the comments with everyone, no names or signifiers included. These thoughtful comments made me pause and think each time I read them and hope they do the same for you.

And if you read to the end, one comment plus my insights about this may even take you further. And thanks to everyone who took the time to read the blog and to also comment on it.

Enneagram ‘Masters’ and ‘Experts’ Comments

“It seems to me that the Enneagram world is at a critical point in its development as more and more people set themselves up as instant experts with dollar signs in their eyes instead of hearts full of compassion for the inner struggles and suffering of others.”

“I got Claudio Naranjo’s enneagram directly on the SAT program. He never defined himself as a teacher or an expert. Just their talking and understanding people deeply was a form of transmission by direct contact, by experience. I’ve been working with the enneagram for 15 years to apply it to organizations and companies…and I really consider myself fresh on the porch to the real depth of this millennial and sacred tool.”

“What you highlight has been one of the reasons my gut has not allowed me to apply for accreditation … as of yet. A voice has continued to say at some point yes, but not just yet. Not seeking to be an expert….just authentic.”

“I can think of a well-known Enneagram teacher (not one of the most well-known) whose Enneagram organization once had an email sent out, written by someone else but associated with the organization, extolling him as the world’s leading Enneagram teacher. It was ridiculous and should have been embarrassing, but it was unfortunately in keeping with that teacher’s grand view of himself.”

“Though I’ve lived and breathed Enneagram for at least 35 years, am grateful to have studied with Don and Russ together, and teach inspiring and helpful workshops, I am forever humbled by realizing that knowing the Enneagram doesn’t get you out of being human! You still catch yourself in your stuff. I also have issues with this Master title in the Reiki world.”

“The words ‘Expert’ and ‘Master’ belongs to the business world. Calling oneself ‘Expert’ or ‘Master’ in the Enneagram world shows that the Ego is in charge.”

“Funny feeling when you meet and so-called expert that has only done one course”

“Plato, in his Seventh Letter, listed five stages of knowledge: the name, the definition, the image, the theory (true myth), and “the thing-in-itself.” The last, he said, cannot be taught but comes like a bolt of lightning. There are lots of people who can play around with theorizing but, so far as I know, the only master since Gurdjieff has been Oscar Ichazo.”

“When one is habitually embracing their expertise as an object, and what I mean by ‘object’ here includes the Jungian concept of the Persona or the mask we wear as that ‘expert,’ and we do not do the inquiry work of traversing the whole enneagram beyond a conceptual configuration, beyond merely knowing ABOUT, can we then really inhabit and go into the enneagram in a deeper way, which would be more akin to mastery? It seems that mastery entails inquiry into all aspects of the enneagram as it lives within the inquirer, beyond type. It also seems that one’s own narcissistic shell would need to be inquired into in a consistent and ongoing way. Then humility naturally arises. I would think mastery in the enneagram, since it is a spiritual undertaking at the core, would have such a pattern.”

“’Expert’ is for selling something in this world dominated by New Age. The term ‘Master’ is only appropriate for people like Krishnamurti, Gurdjieff, Steiner, Jung and so on. We must also consider the word ‘Teacher’, a sort of half way.”

“It’s very important in this time where business gurus (who all copy each other) teach that claiming to be an expert is essential for one’s marketing and personal branding—even when someone is still in a (beginner’s) course. In the same trainings, they also teach that copying the work of the successful is a good practice. So, this is far less innocent than it might seem at first glance.”

“I think that if the enneagram teachers truly are experts, then it is not Ego to state as such, it’s simply stating the truth. I would hope those teaching are experts. I have been wondering what strategies the experts use to ensure their Ego is not out of control ? It’s such an opportunistic entity and I could see how the experts in their field could potentially have a great deal of Ego directing the show behind the scenes, if they are not constantly vigilant, simply because of the nature of being in the limelight and being seen as experts in their field.”

“The more I learn about the Enneagram, the more I am aware of how dynamic and vast this framework is.”

“The day I say that I am an Enneagram expert is the day I know my Enneagram knowledge has stopped developing. And that’s not something I want in my life.”

And one more idea to ponder

One comment provided a perspective based on the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” (1999), …”a type of cognitive bias where people with little expertise or ability assume they have superior expertise or ability. This overestimation occurs as a result of the fact that they don’t have enough knowledge to know they don’t have enough knowledge.” In other words, they don’t know what they don’t know. In the Dunning-Kruger model, they are at Stage 1 of their 4 stages: Unconscious Incompetence.

I think the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” adds some insight into why some of this is occurring in the Enneagram community, as well as elsewhere. But what about people who are not particularly new to the Enneagram and still call themselves “Expert” or “Master?”

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post What people said about Enneagram ‘Masters’ and ‘Experts’ appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

My last blog focused on concerns related to claims of being an Enneagram “master” and “expert.” This blog examines a different kind of claim, that of being “world-recognized,” “world-respected,” “world-renowned,” “globally- known,” “world-famous,” “highly acclaimed,” and multiple variations on these themes could go on and on. I see people using these adjectives more and more frequently in their ads and biographies online.

But what is the basis for such a BIG description of oneself? What does it mean to be acknowledged throughout the globe? Is it where a person has traveled outside their own country to teach or present Enneagram programs? Perhaps they have conducted virtual programs drawing participants from different countries. However, does that actually mean you are world-recognized? Perhaps it is having written books that have been translated into multiple languages. OK, but these would have to have sold a huge number of copies to justify the claim. Possibly, a person has been on some podcasts that have a global listening audience, but the listening base would need to be quite large to justify saying you have worldwide recognition.

As I was writing this blog, I’ve been thinking through my background and how I sometimes describe myself in bios or promotion. Sometimes, I use the term “world-recognized” in brief bios as a sort of shortcode for a longer description of where I’ve taught the Enneagram. Although I don’t count, I just did a calculation of  the number of countries where I’ve done in-person work with the Enneagram: conference keynotes and session presentations, conducting certification programs, doing direct work with organizational clients on site. It comes to more than 20 countries, covering North and South America, Europe and Asia and most often, I’ve been there multiple times. So I think “world-recognized” isn’t inaccurate, but I may need to rethink even using these words.

Highly acclaimed raises the issue of by whom? The Enneagram community doesn’t give awards (or acclaim) for books, teachers, etc., so this isn’t the source. “Well-respected” also raised the question of respected by whom and how do you know you are respected. My conjecture is that words like these reflect how people want to see themselves or how they want others to perceive them.

Other BIG claims have also caught my attention. “Best-selling” author is one of them. In the publishing world, there’s actually no standard for what ‘Best-selling” means. When my first book was published in 2004, Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work, I asked my publisher, McGraw-Hill, this question: What qualifies as a best seller? They said that about 20,000-30,000 books met this threshold. That is a very high standard. In the current environment with social media and the internet, marketing-savvy people can up their numbers, although often for a very short time period. They do pre-sales with lots of promotions or even get people to buy their own books in bulk to up their sales, at least initially. This may get a person’s book listed in the top 10% of books on certain platforms, but it is often an artificial elevation.

Did you know that you can buy into awards? I get emails and LinkedIn offers like this all the time. Essentially, you pay them – often several thousand dollars USD – and then they offer you an award with some name that sounds impressive. You also appear on their website as having won this award when, in fact, it has been purchased. Is it really honest to claim having won an award when, in fact, the award has been bought and you were found through a generic online search?

Enneagram teachers who are, in fact, better known outside their countries of origin are generally not the people most likely to use these superlatives to describe themselves or to claim they are “best-selling” authors or have won awards. Generally, people newer to the Enneagram are far more likely to use the words. That tells the story!

I mention no names in this blog, and that is by intention. My hope is that this blog gives people food for reflection and that those wanting to access excellent Enneagram professionals are aware of some of the ways the current marketing environment has given rise to many of these practices.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post How do you get to be so BIG in the Enneagram world? appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

After three decades as an Enneagram teacher and author, I consider the current Enneagram environment and am left with gratitude and concern. My gratitude is for Enneagram teachers who came before me and the substantial and often exploratory work they have done. I am also appreciative experiencing how widespread the Enneagram has become in the thirty years of my involvement.

This kind of success, however, comes with concerns which I want to, hopefully, encourage self-reflection and/or dialogue around. What I am seeing, reading and hearing is this: a large number of people presenting or advertising themselves as Enneagram “masters” or Enneagram “experts.” I am concerned.

Context

To provide context, I cannot recall Claudio Naranjo, Don Riso, Helen Palmer, David Daniels or Russ Hudson referring to themselves in this way. This is not to say that they may have been promoted by other people using the words “master” or “expert” to describe them (and we often do not have control over advertisements), but I’ve never heard them use these words to describe themselves.

Why would they not use those words? All of them have high-level Enneagram expertise and mastery, but referring to oneself as an “expert” or “master” is something different altogether. I think there are two reasons. First is humility, and true humility requires a great deal of self-awareness, self-reflection and a perspective on one’s own importance. None of them are, as are none of us, perfect human beings, and they would not claim to be so. But to use “master” and “expert” to describe yourself is the opposite of humility.

The second reason is that most people who work with and use the Enneagram for true psychological and spiritual development, and especially those who teach it, get what I think is this simple truth about the Enneagram: The more you learn through the Enneagram, the more you recognize about yourself, the nine types, the system itself, and more. As a result, it is daunting to claim the title of  “master” or “expert.”

What is a “master?”

Here’s how various dictionaries describe the meaning of  the word “master.”
“Having complete knowledge or skill in a specific area”
“An artist of consummate skills”
“Having chief authority”

What is an “expert?”

Here’s how various dictionaries describe the meaning of  the word “expert.”
“A person with comprehensive knowledge of or skill in a certain area”
“Someone with mastery of a topic”
“Adept, proficient, skilled and skillful”

What is the difference between “master” and “expert?”

According to Google AI, “master” implies a deeper, more profound understanding and ability that goes beyond just being knowledgeable, suggesting a level of mastery that transcends routine practice and incorporates a deeper intuition and creative application of knowledge, whereas an “expert” is someone with extensive knowledge and experience in a specific field, capable of performing tasks proficiently within established practices.”

Example: “A chess expert can analyze complex strategies and make informed moves, but a chess master can anticipate their opponent’s thinking and create innovative tactics.”

Summary

I’ve also noticed that those who now refer to themselves as “master” or “expert” are not Enneagram teachers who have been in this field for the longest time. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. The shorter the time, the bigger the claim!

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post What does it mean to be an Enneagram ‘expert’ or ‘master’? appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Perhaps some of these quotes can provide support and perspective, should you be experiencing various versions of fear at these times.

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
Louisa May Alcott

“Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back.”
Babe Ruth

“No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.”
Edmund Burke

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
 Rosa Parks

“There are times when fear is good.  It must keep its watchful place at the heart’s controls.”
Aeschylus

“The best way out is always through.”
Robert Frost

“My fears and anxieties throughout my whole life have been slowly squeezing my voice.”
Shania Twain

“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
Plato

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.
Pema Chödrön

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Fear appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

Even if anger, especially deep anger, is uncomfortable, it is very human and also an energy to be met and catalyzed.

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”
Maya Angelou

When angry, count four. When very angry, swear.”
 Mark Twain

“Usually when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.”
 Malcolm X

 “Those who are not angry at the things they should be angry at are thought to be fools, and so are those who are not angry in the right way, at the right time, or with the right persons.”
Aristotle

“A (wo)man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them.”
Carl Jung

“Experiencing … anger can make you feel more creative, and by being creative, you can get beyond your pain or negativity.
Yoko Ono

“You have to be sincere in your feelings. And fear is one of those, sometimes; doubt is one of those; jealousy, anger – all your emotions are not going to be considered the strong emotions; all of them are not going to be love, happiness, joy.”
Common

“I’m always angry. I wake up angry. There is a lot to be angry about. Anger is a positive energy.”
Thandie Newton

“Generally speaking, if a human being never shows anger, then I think something’s wrong. (S)he’s not right in the brain.”
Dalai Lama

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Anger appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

As we navigate turbulent waters, grief is one of the human emotions that runs deep. These quotes may be of help.

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
CS Lewis

“We get no choice. If we love, we grieve.”
Thomas Lynch

“Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom.”
Rumi

“You never know how strong you are until being strong  is the only option.”
Bob Marley

“Everyone can master grief except (s)he who has it.”
Shakespeare

“Don’t run away from grief. Look for the remedy inside the pain because the rose came from the thorn and the ruby came from a stone.”
Rumi

“An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”
Viktor Frankl

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
Queen Elizabeth II

“Grief changes shape, but it never leaves.”
Keanu Reeves

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Grief appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

This blog may be provocative, although my intention is to make it thought-provoking. The issue is what I am seeing as the frequent use of the “hypnotic voice” by Enneagram professionals in their videos on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

As a young PhD student in the late 1970s, it was drilled into us to NOT use a hypnotic voice when teaching, leading guided imagery, meditations, centering activities, or in any other context. The exception would be if  (a) we were trained and licensed hypnotherapists and (b) our clients had come to us knowingly and explicitly for a hypnotherapy session. But the reason for not using the hypnotic voice wasn’t because of these two factors. It was because using the hypnotic voice is manipulative, generating an unconscious positive reaction to a particular message. It can be used to “sell” a product, to sell a training program, or even to sell a positive message. Still, the person using the “hypnotic voice” is making the decision for the person receiving the message. And thus, manipulation is involved.

What is the hypnotic voice?

This voice has a number of characteristics:

Calm, soothing voice tone
Even voice tone with minimal inflection
Much slower than normal speech
Uses few questions
Rarely using upticks at the end of a sentence
Softer voice than normal
Deeper or higher voice than normal
Use of repeating words at regular intervals

Why are so many Enneagram people starting to use the hypnotic voice?

Here are some guesses, but since I do not use it, these are speculations. Before suggesting possible reasons, the bigger ask is for you to self-reflect if you use the hypnotic voice yourself. Why?

Some of the whys include the following:

Mimicking someone you’ve heard using it so you think this is the ways it is done.
Wanting to sell something – yourself, an idea, an offering – and thinking this is the best way to do it.
You want to be perceived as wise – a guru, a holy person, a mystic, a spiritually advanced human – and think this is how they talk.
You’ve been coached to speak this way.

More reasons to NOT use the “hypnotic voice”

Besides the manipulative aspects of using the “hypnotic voice,”  most “hypnotic voices” sound fake, so the person using it also feels fake. As an Enneagram teacher, sounding fake or inauthentic is never a winning position. We are, I hope, trying to help people become more real, not more fake. Even if you are adept at the “hypnotic voice”, and few people are, it is also a form of “spiritual  bypass.” You can convince yourself, even self-hypnotize, that you are more developed or evolved than you actually are. And you can hypnotize others into thinking they are somehow more transformed than they are. In addition, the Enneagram can be perceived as “Woo-Woo” or “New Age.” The “hypnotic voice” only reinforces this perception.

How to not use the “hypnotic voice”

Tempting as the hypnotic voice may be, here are two very simple ways to not use it. The first is to be aware of this voice and to choose not to use it. And if you do, stop!

The second way, which I learned in my PhD program so credit to my instructors, is to do the activity yourself while you are asking others to follow your directions. For example, if you ask them to imagine a beautiful blue horizon with a destination at the end of it, imagine this blue horizon yourself and follow your next directions just as they would follow theirs. Doing this keeps you in your own body and experience, and the “hypnotic voice” is no longer there. It really is that simple!

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Beware of the “hypnotic voice” appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.

The times are tumultuous, uncertain, difficult and yet we must navigate through them. I selected these quotes that helped me gain a little perspective, laugh a little, and settle into my chair a bit more! Perhaps this will support you, if even for a brief minute.

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”
Dolly Parton

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Henry Ford

“By night, beloved, tie your heart to mine and let them both in dreams defeat the darkness.”
Pablo Neruda

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
Maya Angelou

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
Aristotle

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
Anne Lamott

“Choose to be optimistic. It feels better.”
Dalai Lama

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous times would have laid dormant.”
Horace

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com

The post Quotes for Our Challenging Times appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.