What’s Your Number?

I attended a presentation about a personality test called the Enneagram this weekend. I was looking forward to it because I had never heard of it and kind of love that stuff. What’s your sign? What is your color? etc….

This test assigns a person a number ranging from 1-9 depending on how you deal with situations and react to every day stress. When I sat down, the presenter was introduced and enthusiastically told us that we would be spending the next 2 1/2 hours listening to him explain the Enneagram and the 9 types of personalities. 

He lost me at “we will spend the next 2 1/2 hours together.” I did not know my type but I knew I was not the type to sit in a chair and listen to someone talk for 2 1/2 hours. What in the world can take 2 1/2 hours to explain to a group of adults that isn’t physics or brain surgery? We weren’t even getting to take the test. I was pissed. I only wanted to know my number and move on to the next thing in my day. 

From what I could gather from the presentation, I think that I’m an 8. He started with 9 and worked his way to number 1. I can tell you that he shouldn’t have explained the 8 so early in the presentation, because 8’s don’t have the patience or interest in hearing about other people’s numbers. At the end, I was worn out, like really tired. I had been sitting for all that time and felt like I had run a marathon. 

The interesting thing to me was how tired I could be from sitting in a chair. I have a hard time understanding how someone can be exhausted from running a mile. I’m sure some people in the room weren’t tired at all after the presentation. Different things exhaust different people. I am guilty of thinking things like, “Oh wow, you worked 8 hours today and you are exhausted? What in the world in wrong with you?” That is because work is something that actually energizes me. I am more tired if I don’t work. 

Long story short is that after 2 1/2 hours of sitting, I have decided to be less judgmental of what people consider tiring. If someone tells me that they are exhausted from reading a book, taking a nap or running a marathon, it is their truth. I will stop deciding what warrants another person being tired. 

You tired? Go rest. My rest would be going for a jog, but you be you. I’m cool with that!

TEA IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD