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If you are on an endless pursuit of making things more ideal than they are, you may be an Enneagram Type 1, a Perfect Reformer. They aim for the highest goal and work tirelessly to hit it. People of this type wish to leave the world better than they found it. They have a personal mission to improve themselves, their community, the people they know, and everything in their realm of influence to the best of their ability.
Their highest goal is to be good and virtuous. More than any other Type, these heavenly advocates experience a moral obligation, that they cannot ignore, to do right and be honest. They are big on integrity. If a Perfect Reformer tells you she will do something, she will. They have exceptionally high standards and are punctual, fair and proper. They are detail oriented and ethical. Ones easily notice mistakes or things out of place. They straighten pillows, write thank you notes, point out stains, correct grammatical errors and vote. They are dutiful.

Every Enneagram number has a bane or a passion that relentlessly traps them and for Ones it is anger. The intelligence center for Perfect Reformers is their gut. This means they tend to act before thinking and don't consult their emotions. The desire is to keep emotions out of it and remain calm and helpful. The exception may be their anger, which is ever lurking below the surface, to their dismay and often denial.
Ones are fiercely fighting any self-notion of being bad, evil or corrupt. They hold high standards for themselves and this is why they tend to do the same for others. They have a consistent nagging inner-voice (that the rest of us don't have) that tells them they are not good enough or not meeting the best standards. What is difficult for them to see is that others may not see things the same way as they do and that is perfectly acceptable. We are different by design.
Ones tend to be very black and white about issues, and this is understandable when we consider how their world appears to be divided into obvious moral absolutes. When others are not this way Ones can become irritated. When others live with what is perceived as more freedom, fun, frivolity or sloppiness, Perfect Reformers become resentful. They boil when others don't follow the rules that they feel morally obligated to follow. "Why am I the one who does all the work?" The frustration and irritation they constantly experience is the anger that they struggle with and spend a lifetime repressing.
Though ordinary Ones typically don't experience themselves this way, others experience them as uptight, rigid, judgmental and critical. In most cases, this tension is visible in how they carry themselves and in their faces, eyes and remarks. They glare at people and don't know they are doing it. They are easily displeased and their standards are impossible.
Of all of the numbers, perhaps Perfect Reformers are most willing to do self-work for the sake of shaking the old patterns. They love improvement. Progress towards idealism motivates them to the core. Then, they may be able to recognize the impossible burden they place on themselves of personal obligation. They can find serenity and release the self-imposed duties that they unnecessarily assign to themselves. They can relax and enjoy the day. They understand that everyone is valuable and deserving even with flaws. It’s okay to make mistakes (if you are a One this sentence stings).
Healthy Ones can intentionally have fun, even if all the work isn't done. Post Reformation, they laugh hard and easily. They practice patience which is the antithesis of their anger. They are aware of their critical inner-voice and can calmly thank it for its input and let it be more of a kind guide rather than a disciplinarian. They are a shining example of honesty, fairness and goodness. They can let go and enjoy the moment even without everything being perfect, because life never is.
Learning to let go,
Jessica Morgan McAtee
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