Know Thyself
One of the reasons we experience difficulties in life is that we behave in ways counter to our nature. When we know ourselves, we make choices and accommodations that prioritize our well-being, while optimizing the chances of positive outcomes.
There are two primary areas of this work: *personality* and *constitution*. While everyone is unique in experience and circumstance, there are a finite number of constitutions and personality types.
Personality
The personality is the expression of our neurology and psychology as shaped by our experiences, genetic programming, and karma. Of all the popular personality type systems, Enneagram is the most resonant and accessible.
Enneagram postulates nine primary personality types and fleshes each out in great detail.
Some essential resources:
Knowing our personality type and those of the people around us informs our decisions and how we structure our lives.
Constitution
Our constitution is the vehicle of energetic expression via the physical mind/body. Some people are sedentary, some have abundant sustained energy, and some burn out quickly. In the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, the Doshas shape the constitution and control the flow of vital energy.
Knowing our constitution allows us to ration our energy appropriately and it gives us permission to rest when necessary.
