Who are you? But then something deeper than just your name, age, position and hobbies.
What are you good at? Why is that? Are you already making the most of that? How can you ensure that you become more and more empowered?
How do you behave under stress? Why do you feel pressure at such a moment? What is the underlying reason? How can you prevent that from happening and not fall into the same pitfall every time?
Knowing and understanding yourself. That may sound simple, but it isn’t. At least I don’t think so. I’ve invested a lot in that already, but I’m still learning new insights about myself. When I thought I knew myself, there comes a time when I run into something. And then I do clumsy things, react primarily or let my emotion lead too much.
I don’t think there is someone who is always in control, at least I haven’t met that person yet. But by being aware of yourself, what you are good at and what your pitfalls are, you can grow. Grow by anticipating on those typical pitfalls or intervening when you feel it happening again. Growing by creating an environment in which you thrive and making sure you get better and better at what you love to do and makes you happy.
By really knowing yourself, you can develop yourself better and influence situations positively. You can also use this self-knowledge perfectly to find a job that gives you more energy and that serves you best.
But how do you get to know yourself?
There are various ways to get relevant insights. Training, coaches or mindful moments.. They are all about self-reflection! Take the time to think and learn in order to understand what is happening and why. Not just once, but regularly. Especially when you are facing a milestone, such as looking for a new job, or when you run into problems.
Online training filled with self reflection and actionable insights to find and get your dreamjob
Get to know yourself better and use that knowledge to start dreaming. Dream about what would be a perfect job for you, a job where you fully exploit your strengths. Make those dreams concrete, develop your roadmap towards it and set yourself up for success !
In addition to the insights you can gain in this online training, I am a big fan of Ennagram. I’ll share a bit more about how it works and why I think it’s valuable.
Enneagram
Enneagram is a personality model that describes 9 personality ‘types’. An individual is always a combination of different types and you undoubtedly recognize yourself in all the different types. However, as an individual you also know a primary type, one that is dominant. That dominant type gives you the most insight into why you behave in a certain way and how you look at things.
The types also relate to each other in a certain way so that you learn how to be more effective and grow, but also what your stress points are. A type 1, perfectionist, for example, behaves under stress like an unhealthy type 4 (moody and irrational). Type 1 can grow by being a little more spontaneous in life and enjoying more, like type 7.
All types are divided into 3 centers. These describe where the common added value and risks lie with the relevant types. In type 1, for example, this is the instinct. These centers also share a dominant emotion from which these types act when they lose the connection with themselves.
Why was Enneagram so valuable for me?
For me personally this was valuable because it taught me how to take care of myself more, and because it went along with a bit of self-acceptance. I am primary type 2, the helper. I found that confrontational, because I associated it with weakness. Such a typical female profile, as if I just had to become a nurse instead of a strong leader, with which I had other associations at the time. Funny actually, because my dominant emotion is shame. I felt it very clearly then, and feeling is central to my type.. so it made impact. But, the model was right .. I recognize myself in all the appropriate behavior. I am helpful, I like to give and don’t want much in return except to feel appreciated. Under stress or when I feel unappreciated, I fall into type 8 bad behavior and can become demanding, bossy, or even irrational (they’ll love to read that at home…). I can grow and am become more effective by being more individualistic, taking care of myself and make sure that my own balance is good (like type 4). I have now realized that as a leader it can be very powerful to be a helper and I am proud of it. I believe in the power of servant leadership and try to keep myself sharp on that good personal balance so that I don’t fall into my stress behavior. Not easy, but my key to success.
Want to get started with Enneagram yourself?
You can take a free test on many sites and by googling your type, you can find out everything you want to know. You can also register for trainings that cover the whole or do such a training together with your entire team to get to know each other better. Up to you!
I would recommend this free test because it’s an easy questionnaire and they show the types in a clearly structured and comprehensive way: https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram-test#assessment
Enneagram also provides useful insights about what kind of jobs are a good fit for each type. A very nice basis to get started and to dream what that means for you!
Could you use some help with translating the insights you gain into finding (and getting) your dream job? I can help you with that with my online training: