Lighthearted Sevens love life and easily tap into joy. This space on the Enneagram represents the child-like innocence and wonder we sometimes forget as adults. Innovative Epicures are in the Thinking Triad, which isn't always obvious when they flit around at high-speeds, jumping from one thing to the next. Their agile minds race from one topic to another at a rapid pace. They love thinking about ideas, brainstorming and creating exciting plans. Sevens relish connecting ideas that others don't see correlations in. Sevens are strategic. They are future-oriented and wide-eyed. They are adventurous, excitable and free-spirited. They want to be happy, fulfilled and satisfied. They want everyone to have a good time. Enneagram expert Helen Palmer says Sevens have champagne in their veins. They are popular and enjoy people. Epicures are eternal optimists.
Sevens have a fear of being stuck in pain or deprivation. This is why they spend so much time imagining fun things to do. Distractions fuel their fast-paced escapades and the more anxiety they face, the more they rev their brain's engines. They are quick learners and can do lots of things well, which is a strategy they have learned that helps them distract from boring, painful or difficult parts of life. Innovative Epicures are renaissance people and often try out many careers and areas of interest, the world seems so exciting and filled with opportunities that it is challenging for them to say in one place for long. But this can also be dizzying and unfocused. Epicures love good art, food, culture, style and music. Variety gets them buzzing.
Sevens grow when they recognize their tendency to always be looking forward to the next best thing rather than enjoying what they have now. They suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out) and can start one enterprise after another without ever going deep enough into any of them to fully enjoy and immerse themselves in it. Epicures can get impatient when things become mundane, routine or boring. It pains them more than necessary to do repetitive chores like bill paying, doctor's visits or errands. They repeatedly start new projects but then abandon them when they get tedious or when something that promises more pleasure comes along. Slowing down, feeling pain and deepening their awareness is their healing balm.
Their passion is gluttony. If one is good, they want ten. In the unconscious hold of their Seven nature, their schedules are packed and overbooked. They enjoy more sparkle, more intensity, more volume, more fun. This is an avoidance technique. The plan is to outrun fear, anxiety or deprivation. This distracts them from hard emotions like sadness, rejection, failure or grief. Innovative Epicures dislike when people are negative or point out things that can go wrong with their lofty idealistic plans.
Healthy Sevens learn to keep commitments. They can practice sobriety which entails self-restraint, hard work and delayed gratification. They accept that life has ups and downs and they patiently experience both as such. They feel their darker emotions rather than pushing them aside for cheerful ones. Thriving Sevens are content with life, even when it is limited or boring at times. They joyfully live in the moment and don't have to be distracted by tomorrow. There is a complete calm in knowing that here is the best place to be.
Smile and Breathe,
Jessica Morgan McAtee
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