Ok, honesty time…so this post isn’t completely about the King of Pop, but he does play a role later.
What if I asked how your week is going? What would you say? For most of us, we give a very common, one-word answer.
“Busy.”
But when we intentionally take time to slow down and get away from distractions and take an honest look at ourselves, we may not always like what we find.lking about your nightly snooze fest. I’m talking about a habit of peace, one where we have time and space to breath and process the world around us, and the thoughts and emotions within us.
Rest is where we get in touch with our true selves. When we don’t rest, we can be constantly distracted from who we truly are. We can fill out time with activities and to-dos, and never leave space to look inward and deal with our own “inner demons.”
But when we intentionally take time to slow down and get away from distractions, and take an honest look at ourselves, we may not always like what we find.
Pop icon and cultural prophet Michael Jackson called out something important in one of his most popular songs. He said (er, sang…), “I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways.” In his song, Jackson saw the problems in the world, and he rightly assessed that resolution doesn’t start with fixing everyone else, but with looking inward to ourselves. But what he missed was how our brokenness can be fixed.
“Fixing ourselves” isn’t some sheer act of will. We can’t force it or coerce it. In fact, the real key to personal change is to admit our brokenness. It’s only then, when we actually stop trying to fix ourselves, that freedom is truly offered to us, and a path forward to a more integrated and whole humanity is on display.
One of the clearest mirrors for the human personality is the enneagram. It’s not a magic bullet to fix your problems, but it can be an incredibly incisive diagnostic which can help us on our way to healing and wholeness.
Evrgrn specializes in using the enneagram system to help people and teams discover how they are wired and to build better relationships with each other. For more info, or to schedule a training, visit www.evrgrnteams.com