1. Striving for happiness is the surest way to experience unhappiness. Avoidance of emotional pain causes unhappiness. Happiness is a byproduct. The soul is getting everything that it needs for evolution in the present moment.
2. If you are not self-observing you are unconscious and running on automatic. The unexamined ego will
run your life. Developing a self-observation practice aids in making conscious choices.
3. It is okay to be human. Whatever is rejected in consciousness goes into the Shadow and is projected onto others and the world. Practicing self-acceptance, non-judgment and self-love is paramount to personal growth.
4. Either/Or thinking causes suffering. Both/And thinking lessens suffering and opens you to an appreciation of paradox, mystery and nuance. Dualistic thinking perpetuates suffering while the embrace of non-dualistic thinking eases the attachment to polarity, black and white thinking as well as the us/them dichotomy.
5. Most things are out of your control. Surrender to this reality brings serenity. You must accept the things that you cannot change, have courage to change the things you can and have wisdom to know the difference. You can change yourself.
Contact me to schedule a complimentary session on how life coaching with the Enneagram can help you become aware of your unconscious patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving as well as your underlying motivations.
Ron Esposito, M.A. is a certified Life Coach, Enneagram Teacher and Spiritual Mentor at the Conscious Living Center in Mount Auburn. [email protected]