The Resilience Series
Calm Inner Peace, No Matter What
Yes, each Enneagram type has a gift for all of us. In particular, this series is focused on resilience and how to cultivate more resilience by embodying a gift from each type.
Today we’ll look at the peaceful nature of type Nine, its value in resilience, and how to have more of it. Their skill is to exude a sense of calm inner peace, no matter how much chaos surrounds them.
Don’t you wish you had more of that in a time like this?
After reading the news in the morning, as you’re probably experiencing, too, I notice another “new normal.” Sometimes I adjust pretty quickly. Other days, I find myself plummeting as my thoughts drift into potential horrors, the lengthy duration, and I’ll just stop there for now. Of course it’s unpleasant.
And I remember the topic of resilience.
What would my inner Nine do? Can that really serve me at a time like this?
At first doubtful, though I wholeheartedly believe in this work!, I say to myself, “Well, give it a try. This sucks. You have nothing to lose.”
So I sit down, away from my desk and away from the news.
I was first dubious at first. Yes, even I get that way sometimes! This is such a big, pervasive challenge, the likes of which none of us has ever experienced. Can it really work at a time like this?
I hear Herb Pearce’s voice when he spoke to my Emotional Mastery group about type Nine the other day. He said, “Nines just appear to be calm on the outside. On the inside, there is often anxiety!”
Okay. I certainly resonate with that! Yet Nines do seem to manage anxiety . . . when they’re “healthy” and “resourceful.”
I begin my practice.
And take in a deep and full breath. I remember a Nine mantra (a phrase that captures a particular inner feeling) I often talk about:
I have calm inner peace,
no matter what.
And I breathe out, as fully as possible. Ahhh, I’m calming down.
I want to argue. “But this is so big,” I want to say.
I continue my practice. And repeat the mantra, over and over again.
Ahhhhh, my mind quiets. My breath deepens. It feels good. I stay with it, repeating these words, over and over again.
Recognizing the importance of the words, “NO MATTER WHAT.”
THIS is the time to take that seriously. NO MATTER WHAT. I maintain my calm inner peace.
I stay with the practice until I am truly feeling this craved-for sense of calm. And my own belief in this work is reinforced again.
Having re-booted my resilience, I’m ready for my day.
I want that for you, too.
I know it’s challenging. There are so many arguments supporting why that’s true. AND, I recommend you just give it a try. You have nothing to lose. And everything, including your peace of mind, to gain.
May you be abundant in your ever-growing resilience.
