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Turning Cranial Chaos Into a Choir
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Those conversations you have with yourself when making a decision are actually between more voices than you might imagine. We usually think there are only two voices (a dialectic) offering two sides of a situation. If only it were that simple, we’d be able to make decisions instantly, with no questions or remorse (like a computer – digital; two voices: 0 and 1).

Do you remember the old Disney cartoons with a tiny Donald or Pluto on each shoulder; a devil and an angel? This represented the simplistic Good vs. Evil influences in our decision-making. Once again, if only it were a simple binary input, those discussions in our heads would be so much shorter. What’s more, once we decided, we wouldn’t question or ruminate afterward.


You are far more complex, and there are more than two voices in the discussion; creating depth and dimensionality. We actually have at least five voices representing five perspectives, each with its own agenda and worldview. And each of us is a composite of those perspectives.

Just trying to keep track of all those voices, perspectives, and the chaos they bring up increases our stress levels, which impedes clear thinking. When you identify those five voices and their agendas, it puts you back in control of your decision-making process.

The Multiple Perspective Perspective
One of the reasons people have a difficult time or resist any kind of typing or modeling, is a general misconception that it puts you in a box or says you are one type of person. Not necessarily.

An easy way of looking at the system I use (the Integral Enneagram) is to imagine nine people sitting around a circle at the beach. Depending on your position, you might see mostly ocean, or you might see mostly sand. Both perspectives are true. Both taken as mutually exclusive would cause an argument. The Integral Enneagram is a system that allows us to model these different perspectives, as multiple truths at the same time, and understand where they’re coming from.

You know that your perspective shifts radically under stress or when you’re confident, and once again this model illustrates these dynamics as well. These shifted perspectives are often called your Integration or Disintegration Points, and would be just like moving to a different part of that circle on the beach. Now you see things differently
 


Just the Five of You.
We’ve talked about your primary typology, or the main way you take in and sort input, and your Integration and Disintegration Points. Now we introduce your adjacent Wing Typologies. They’re sitting next to you on the circle, and if we were playing cards, could probably see your hand. They always share their perspective and put their two cents in constantly. Life circumstances usually influence how much each of them speaks up, and how “evolved” their worldviews will be.

One thing you can count on is that adjacent wings commonly have very different character traits, and this accounts for some of the sense of opposition we hear as that dialectic. They’re not exact opposites, and this is where the depth and dimensionality come in, along with the confusion. The complexity of an individual is in the combination of all their components.

Someone who is competitive, driven, and hard working may recognize four other voices conflicting or adding to the internal discussion: “I don’t want to do this, How can I help? The colors have to be more balanced, and I just want my team to win.”

Someone who brainstorms, plans, and thinks a million miles an hour in a thousand directions may recognize their four other voices: “Safety first, My way or the highway, Why can’t anyone do it right, I love finding things out.”

You may recognize a few of those voices as your own. There are a lot of overlaps. Knowing who is saying what, and what that part’s agenda is, helps you to make decisions on a far richer level. Imagine knowing that the voice saying not to go for that dream job is only your Stress Point’s opinion, and that your true self is ready and yearning for it. Knowing about this chorus also helps us to hear these voices in each other thanks to those overlaps, and understand each other without the judgment that separates us.


Pulling Together.
Taking this further, these voices pulling together in harmony, rather than different directions, toward your chosen goals is immensely powerful and helpful for you. Knowing who is contributing what to the discussion in your head puts you in charge of your own resources, and takes a bit of applied training to master.

Appreciating the nuances of these types and the amazing applications that are yours for the taking was the basis for Optimized Results creating different coaching and communication programs for each typology. Each type or worldview needs their own approach to achieving their own best results, and by listening carefully to people, you can hear between the lines, and get an idea of what makes them tick. This gives you a competitive edge on developing rapport and relationship, which is of course what drives your business.

Whether you want to improve your effectiveness in business, in your home life, in relationships, etc. the most important common element is you. Knowing and being in command of your resources gives you the ability to shift from reactive to proactive in every facet of your life.

     - Ian J. Blei

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Special Offer -
Back to School Special: 

Whether you're going back to school, or your kids are, September means a shift in lifestyle. Learning is a constant process; something we need to always be doing, or we lose our independence and autonomy. The more we know about how we tick (and everyone around us) the more competent and confident we are.

To make this easier for everyone, I'm offering 3 Dynamic Discovery Sessions to three lucky people (who haven't already gotten them) just for including the secret word in the subject line of your email: "Learning."

Discover your resources and challenges, and exactly how you work, so you can be every bit as incredible as you were meant to be.

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Quick Communication Tip

Multiple Personality Order