I started looking into this whole Enneagram thing ’cause my buddy kept bugging me about it. Said knowing your type helps you not be a total dumpster fire in relationships. Took one of those free online tests – turns out I’m a 7 with 6 wing. Had zero clue what that meant.
The Messy Beginning
First I googled “7w6” and wowza – info overload! Articles talking ’bout “extroverted intuition” and “anxiety triads”. My eyes glazed over like donuts. Almost quit right there.
How I Figured It Out
Grabbed a notebook and tried these 5 stupid-simple steps:
Step 1: Wrote down 3 times I went full YOLO mode. Like when I spontaneously drove to Vegas last summer. Classic 7 behavior – chasing fun like it’s the last pizza slice.
Step 2: Noted when I got paranoid. Like triple-checking if I locked the door. Or texting my sister “you alive?” when she didn’t reply for 2 hours. That’s the 6 wing freaking out.
Step 3: Made two columns – “Adventure Mike” and “Worried Mike”. Jotted down moments from last month. Realized when planning hiking trips, Adventure Mike picks trails. Worried Mike packs 3 first-aid kits. Mind blown.
Step 4: Tried catching myself before flipping moods. Like when my camping trip got rained out. Instead of sulking OR panicking, I took a breath and made backup plans.
Step 5: Told my girlfriend “Hey I’m practicing 7w6 stuff” mid-argument about vacation plans. We ended up laughing at my over-explaining. Actually worked better than our usual screaming matches.
What Actually Happened
After 2 weeks of this:
- Felt less like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde fighting in my brain
- Still blew money on dumb stuff (bought light-up sneakers last Tuesday)
- But didn’t panic-check my bank app every 5 minutes after
Bottom line? Learning this stuff feels like getting an instruction manual for your own brain. Still mess up constantly, but at least now I know why I’m being extra. Pretty wild that free online test actually led somewhere useful!
