Enneagram: Profligacy and Britni

Examples: Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Pauley, Michael Landon, Tony Robbins, Tom Cruise, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Madonna, Shirley MacLaine, Sting, Paul McCartney, Dick Clark, Whitney Houston, Ted Danson, Michael Jordan, Shania Twain, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarznegger, Billy Dee Williams, Kathy Lee Gifford, Truman Capote, O.J. Simpson, and Barack Obama.

In the detailed description of what a three is I found these statements fragments, although to extreme, fit well.

“Threes want success not so much for the things that success will buy, or for the power and feeling of independence that it will bring. They want success because they are afraid of disappearing into a chasm of emptiness and worthlessness:

Threes, interestingly, are not known as “feeling” people; rather, they are people of action and achievement. It is as if they “put their feelings in a box” so that they can get ahead with what they want to achieve. Threes have come to believe that emotions get in the way so they substitute thinking and practical action for feelings.

Threes report that when they realize to what extent they have adapted their lives to the expectations of others, the question arises, “Well, then, what do I want?” They often simply did not know; it was not a question that had ever come up before. Thus, the fundamental dilemma of Threes is that they have not been allowed to be who they really are and to manifest their own authentic qualities.”

Success and achievement are very important to me. The spoils of this success, not so much. Money and things I could care less about if I don’t have that feeling of success that comes with acquiring that money and those things, and the feeling that I did something no one else could do. Without it, I tend to get depressed and depreciate myself. Contrary to this description. I consider myself a very feeling person, but I can easily “put these in a box” if it is an means to an end. I even go to such lengths daily at my job, hiding my inner kink, to blend in a very logical and structured environment.

The thought of having to total up “what I want” out of life is quite frightening to me. I have spent little time in my life thinking about this in order to stay focused on achieving success. Being who I really am is an almost impossible task to comprehend, and one of the things I am most envious of about Britni. She does it so effortlessly.

Brit is a type 7. Here were her results:

Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over- extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. Their basic fear is of being deprived and in pain, and their basic desire is to be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled. Their key motivations are that they want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, and to avoid and discharge pain.

Sevens are enthusiastic about almost everything that catches their attention. They approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure, like “kids in a candy store” who look at the world in wide-eyed, rapt anticipation of all the good things they are about to experience. They are bold and vivacious, pursuing what they want in life with a cheerful determination. They have a quality best described by the Yiddish word “chutzpah”—a kind of brash “nerviness.”

YES. I am enthusiastic about everything that piques my interest, sometimes too enthusiastic. “Kid in a candy store” can definitely describe me, especially if I’m shopping. I want it all, and I want it now. Also, “chutzpah” is DEFINITELY something I possess. I’m brash and blunt to a fault, will say anything to anyone, and never back down from a fight.

Although Sevens are in the Thinking Center, this is not immediately apparent because they tend to be extremely practical and engaged in a multitude of projects at any given time. Their thinking is anticipatory: they foresee events and generate ideas “on the fly,” favoring activities that stimulate their minds—which in turn generate more things to do and think about. Sevens are not necessarily intellectual or studious by any standard definition, although they are often intelligent and can be widely read and highly verbal. Their minds move rapidly from one idea to the next, making Sevens gifted at brainstorming and synthesizing information. Sevens are exhilarated by the rush of ideas and by the pleasure of being spontaneous, preferring broad overviews and the excitement of the initial stages of the creative process to probing a single topic in depth.

I found this to be really interesting. Thinking about one thing always leads to thinking about another, and another. In an example they gave, a woman described being somewhere and having all these things that she kept remembering she had to do, and she had to leave to write it all down. This is SO me. I keep post it lists, or lists on my phone everywhere. I have to keep track of it all, otherwise I’ll turn it over and over in my mind until I go crazy. Putting it on the list lets me forget about it. The part about preferring broad overviews to probing a single topic in depth is really accurate, too. I like to know a little about a lot of things, rather than a lot about a little.

Sevens are frequently endowed with quick, agile minds, and can be exceptionally fast learners. This is true both of their ability to absorb information (language, facts, and procedures) and their ability to learn new manual skills—they tend to have excellent mind-body coordination, and manual dexterity (typewriting, piano playing, tennis).

Ironically, Sevens’ wide-ranging curiosity and ability to learn quickly can also create problems for them. Because they are able to pick up many different skills with relative ease, it becomes more difficult for them to decide what to do with themselves. As a result, they also do not always value their abilities as they would if they had to struggle to gain them. When Sevens are more balanced however, their versatility, curiosity, and ability to learn can lead them to extraordinary achievement.

I am a REALLY fast learner. To the point that I don’t understand what the hell is taking everyone else so long to get it. I pick it up almost immediately and get annoyed at everyone else for having so many damn questions. And I definitely don’t value my intelligence or skills, because I never really have to work hard at anything. I *wish* I did, sometimes.

Unable to decide whether he wants vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream, a Seven will want all three flavors—just to be sure that he does not miss out on the “right” choice. Having two weeks for a vacation and a desire to visit Europe brings a similar quandary. Which countries and cities to visit? Which sites to see? The Seven’s way of dealing with this will be to cram as many different countries, cities, and attractions into his vacation as possible.

Oh. my. god. I cannot make a decision to save my life. I am the most indecisive person ever. This is why I love having Profligacy so much, and this is a huge part of D/s that appeals to me. He makes these decisions for me. Instead of trying to everything, though, I’ll end up doing nothing. I’ll stand in Blockbuster for an hour, be unable to decide on a movie, and walk out with nothing. I’ll drive around trying to decide what to eat, be unable to decide, and go home and eat nothing.

“This is a highly complementary pair: both types are self-assertive, have high energy, and are outgoing and capable of being around people with relative ease. Both types bring optimism, a future orientation, the sense of possibility and renewal to their relationships and to enterprises they become involved with. Both are persuasive and articulate, often lively and attractive, making them sought after company.

No other couple is as vivacious or gregarious as the Three/Seven couple. This is probably the highest energy combination of types and they wholeheartedly engage in lots of activities, plans and projects, with the emphasis on attaining the good life.

This can sometimes seem to others to be an almost magical couple.”

I agree, magical couple. I’ll keep her.