I spent the weekend with my Seven. The second oldest of our five children. She is a through and through a Type Seven. Absolutely enthusiastic and game for anything with a terrible sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). The Seven’s gifts include being playful and spontaneous, versatile, quick-minded, and entertaining. At their best, they are accomplished, truly joyful in the moment, they savor life and have a profound sense of gratitude. When they are behaving in an average capacity they keep moving to greener grass, keep options open, acquire things or experiences. Their lower behaviors include being scattered, distracted, uninhabited, and excessive. She sees these qualities in herself, the high side of her Seven-ness and the low side of her Seven-ness, but she is also doing the work.

The Seven’s Shadow is gluttony. You may or may not know this but our Shadows are based on the Seven Deadly Sins - I know, Biblical, but nonetheless, prove to be quite valuable on each type’s Path to Wholeness. Gluttony in this case doesn’t only mean eating too much (although this can happen) but it is much more about having many experiences, many friends, many options, many fill-in-the-blank. It is an insatiable appetite for life but this FOMO’s shadow isn’t so obvious to the Seven (just like all of our Shadows) and their enthusiasm for life can be exhausting when it isn’t observed and pivoted.

Because of this Shadow, their Saboteur is Restless. The Restless Saboteur is constantly in search of greater excitement in the next activity or constant busyness.  When a Seven is stressed they rarely are at peace or content with the current activity. Restlessness can also be a strategy to escape from dealing with fears, anxieties, and painful feelings.  I know this Saboteur to be true about my Seven-daughter. The good news is now she recognizes it and on her personal growth journey, she can Observe, Reflect, and Develop from it. None of our Saboteurs ever leave us but we do our best to acknowledge their effects and shift to a better option.

Finally, we get to the Seven’s Wholey Idea - Wisdom. When Sevens realize they don’t need to be planning and the Wisdom of the Universe has their back, they can relax into the present moment. Having the Wisdom that this moment is the only moment that matters, gives Sevens the realization that their constant planning and FOMO doesn’t serve themselves or others in their lives. All we really have is this moment - whether you are a Seven or not. As, Chris Heuertz writes so perfectly in his book, The Enneagram of Belonging, “The present moment is always enough, for in it every moment of our past is held and every potential moment of our future is incubated.” That is the Wholey Idea for Seven. Beautiful once again.