Enneagram Affirmations For Each Type: How You Can Use Them Personally And For Your Team

Every day we’re striving to help people feel whole in their work and in their lives in general. When working with individuals or in a group setting, we often turn to the Enneagram personality test for a high-level understanding of intrinsic motivations, allowing people to gain a deeper perspective of themselves and the people they work with. 

We recently turned to the enneagram expert herself, Erin Rocchio, to dive into affirmations for each Enneagram personality type. Here we explain how you can use each affirmation for your personal development and for team building. 

Enneagram 1: “I am good.”

The Reformer (Enneagram One) personality has a deep sense of right and wrong. Ever striving to be their best, Enneagram Ones can be their own loudest critic—they want to be intentional and justified in their actions, and they feel called to a strong sense of purpose and inner drive to remain true to themselves. The affirmation “I am good” can help Enneagram Ones feel safe and secure in themselves, calming their fear of veering from their right path. 

Enneagram 2: “I am worthy of love.”

The Helper (Enneagram Two) personality is highly compassionate and interpersonal, always working to make sure the needs of others are met. Type twos can become people-pleasers and develop an intrinsic fear of being unwanted or unworthy of love and kindness. This desire for love and validation runs deep, so this affirmation speaks directly to Enneagram Two’s driving motivations, encouraging them to validate themselves. 

Enneagram 3: “I am enough.” 

The Achiever (Enneagram Three) personality types are driven by their inherent fear of not being enough. When it comes to self-worth, type threes care a lot about their self-image and how people interpret them. Competitive and highly driven, Enneagram Threes seek status, validation, attention, and admiration from others. This affirmation addresses Type Three’s deepest desires by securing themselves through self-stabilization that comes from within. 

Enneagram 4: “I am seen and understood.”

The Individualist (Enneagram Four) personalities are creative, sensitive, personal, and have a strong relationship to their identity and self-expression. At their core, type fours have a fear of losing their identity and sense of purpose and significance. This affirmation offers solace to a four when they feel detached from others or feel emotionally misunderstood. 

Enneagram 5: “I know what I know and what I know is enough.”

The Investigator (Enneagram Five) personalities are very curious, investigative, and independent. As a result, type fives can become wrapped up in their thoughts and feel detached or isolated from others. Ultimately, type fives fear being insufficient and useless, which is why they’re determined to gain as much knowledge and understanding of the world around them as possible. This affirmation can help Enneagram Five personality types feel secure in themselves and be okay with what they do and don’t know. Finding comfort in the unknown may feel dysfunctional, however, accepting where they are in the current moment can help them, feel capable and safe. 

Enneagram 6: “I can trust myself.” 

The Loyalist (Enneagram Six) personalities feel a strong sense of self-worth in their commitment to their obligations and the people around them. Hard-working and reliable, type sixes seek security through the support and guidance of others, driven by a deep-rooted fear of being alone and without structure. Because type sixes are often looking to others for validation, they may run into trust issues, feeling anxious and unable to find reassurance on their own. This affirmation serves as a reminder that it is okay to stand on your own and believe in yourself. Finding reassurance offers Enneagram Sixes a break from their anxiety and insecurity. 

Enneagram 7: “I am free and I can choose.” 

The Enthusiast (Enneagram Seven) personalities are excited about the opportunities that life offers. Optimistic and spontaneous, type sevens love having options and flexibility and can feel stressed out or bogged down by an over-structured pre-planned agenda that was given to them rather than by choice. Ultimately, Enneagram Sevens fear deprivation and desire to live a fulfilling life that offers joy and satisfaction. This affirmation reminds type sevens that they are the drivers of their own lives and can pivot and make their own choices. It offers a reframed perspective of their life and can be especially helpful when sevens feel wrapped up in their idealistic and scattered thoughts. 

Enneagram 8: “My strength is my softness.” 

The Challenger (Enneagram Eight) personalities are confident, bold, and decisive. With a strong grip on control, type eights seek individual protection out of a fear of losing control of their own will. Type eights can see the world through a me-versus-them lens, which can create a very black and white, strong versus weak, harsh structure to live within. This affirmation gives type eights the permission they need to be okay with loosening their controlling grip and letting go of the environment and situation they work so hard to stay in control of. 

Enneagram 9: “I belong.”

The peacemaker (Enneagram Nine) personalities are agreeable, optimistic, and supportive, avoiding conflict at all costs. Driven by a fear of disconnection, type nines seek belonging and social stability. Embracing everyone around them, type nines struggle to stand up for what they believe is right, which can result in complacency and not paying enough attention to things that are upsetting them or those around them. Because Enneagram Nines desire stability and peace, this affirmation reinforces the peace that is always within them. Nines need to remind themselves that their ability to belong and be at peace comes from within and doesn’t require unanimous validation by those around them. 

How To Use Enneagram Affirmations

It’s one thing to know the affirmation that can support your Enneagram Type, but the real magic happens when taking action within your own life using the affirmations. On personal and interpersonal levels, affirmations can elicit connections and build trust in the workplace. 

On a personal level

Use your Enneagram affirmation to help guide you when stressed or overwhelmed. It’s more than likely that a lot of your stress is rooted in your Enneagram’s basic fear, which your affirmation is designed to put at bay. Finding a sense of contentment within yourself, especially while in the workplace, can help you make the strongest and smartest decisions for yourself. 

On an interpersonal level

The beautiful thing about humans is that we’re all so different from one another. However, a double-edged sword, our unique individuality can create additional challenges when it comes to interpersonal relationships and communication at work. The Enneagram is a strong tool to help teams understand the key motivations of individual members, which is why we’ve found it to be such a useful tool in coaching. 

The Enneagram is a wonderful tool to strengthen emotional intelligence in the workplace. At the end of the day, we all want to emotionally lift and support one another, if not for our own psyches than for business. In fact, studies have found that people with high EQs in the workplace earn, on average, $29,000 more per year, ultimately impacting your business’ bottom line. Understanding and using your teammate’s Enneagram personalities to your advantage by molding how you communicate with others around their motivating fears and desires can strengthen your team’s trust in one another because it validates everyone’s perspectives as equal, and highlights the interconnectedness of us all. 

Curious about how the Enneagram and Wholeness at Work can support your organization's unique needs? Connect with us! We have the tools, like this Enneagram X Burnout Card Deck, and teachings that your team will benefit from, we look forward to hearing from you.