Beth McCord - The Enneagram Type 7: The Entertaining Optimist

I was looking through a childrens picture book about the Enneagram. Several pages taught children (ahem, and me) about each type, and when I turned to the page about Type 7s, the first sentence I read simply said, Sevens can always think of jobs they would like to have.

And I started to cry.

Reading a childrens book.

Because I had lived my whole life thinking that I was discontent. That I couldnt settle on my dreams or a career and that it was a sign of weakness and immaturity, and suddenly, this one page is telling me the truth: its okay that I can always think of other jobs.

I know that sounds bizarre, but I needed permission to dream. I had felt it in me for my whole life but didnt know it was good and right and the way God made me.

But it is. And it was learning about being an Enneagram Type 7 that started me on that path toward freedom to be meto recognize God teaching me about myself so that I can turn around and fall more in love with Jesus and the life He has given me.

The last few years have been an intentional and sometimes painful journey to a healthier emotional, physical, and spiritual life, and the Enneagram has been one of the main tools that has been walking me toward health. Learning my motivationsrecognizing unhealthy behaviors I have done for my whole life but understanding the why behind them, what to do when I feel pulled toward them, and how to communicate my questions and pain more clearly.

Being a Type 7 is as fun as you think it is. I absolutely love throwing parties where people make friendswhether thats in my home or on my podcast or in the comments on my Instagram posts. I love the light I get to bring into a room just by showing up. Its nothing Ive done; its just the way God made me. Its my 7-ness; its always with me. I love to laugh loudly and wear my heart on my sleeve and invite people in to whatever I love.

The more I learn, the more I love and the more I heal. Thats one of the gifts of the Enneagram. It is a tool that ensures that the more you know, the more you can become the person you really want to be. And for a Type 7 who is inclined to run from pain and be deathly afraid of being confined or trapped in a situation, Im becoming the person who can stay, sit in it, and enjoy the beauty of perseverance and commitment. Its who Ive always wanted to be anyways. And the work of the gospel in my life, the way Jesus redeems and restores and saves, is what has changed me forever.

For us Type 7s, we need books like this. We need to read every page, even the ones that hurt. We need to slow our pace and our breath and not be afraid of what we could see when the page turns. We need to face the good and the bad and let them both heal us. Let the gospel of Jesus Christ shine light on the places where fear has kept things in the dark.

For anyone who loves a Type 7, please read this book and believe it. We are as fun as you think we are, but we are also hurting. Scared. Lonely. What our faces say is not always the full story. Walk with the 7s you love, encourage them to carry joy and pain at the same time, and have fun. Always have fun.

Annie F. Downs , Bestselling Author of 100 Days to Brave, Host of That Sounds Fun Podcast