By Nicola Albini, J.D., M.A.

The question I hear more often than anything else with the Enneagram is:  “Do I need to know my Enneagram number to benefit from this system?”

Many teachers would say yes, but I’ve got a different perspective to offer…

If you have any interest in using this tool, check out this quick video.

I’ll be hosting a free introductory training on the Enneagram in a few weeks, and I’d love to know some of your questions in advance.

This system is helping everyone from spiritual seekers to top level CEOs achieve greater results in life, through understanding the deeper parts of yourself you probably FEEL but don’t always have access to.

Comment on this post and let me know what interests you about this tool and any questions you may have. That way I can incorporate some of it into the upcoming training.

By Nicola Albini, J.D., M.A.

In my last email, I opened up about my dissatisfaction with the “push, push, push” model of success.

I got a lot of feedback that it hit home in a pretty deep way.

After that email, I was speaking to a woman who asked me…

“You know how you felt a deeper soul calling to move from external success to following a deeper more fulfilling path?”

“Yes.”

“So many people are terrified to leave behind the comfort of the known.”

Which is exactly what’s required to move from success to building a legacy. From success to soul.

But so many people who have tasted material success and external reward refuse this deeper call. It’s just how we’re wired! It’s natural to refuse our call before we’re ready to embrace it.

Resisting your calling can lead you into depression, anxiety and health challenges because going against your own soul, even when your soul’s call seems absolutely crazy to you because it seems crazy to the world, creates a lot of problems.

Then, she asked me, “I’m really curious how you did it! Weren’t you scared?”

“Of course I was scared!”

I was really scared to leave Italy to come to America. I was scared to leave behind 34 years of life. Scared to leave behind my family, my safety net, to jump into a new place where I barely knew anybody. I was scared about what was going to happen, what was going to be unfolding next.

Yet, there was something inside of me that was pulling me. So I found my courage.

You know, courage is from the Latin word COR - a little three letter word that tells us “the root is the heart!”

Despite the fear, I made a conscious choice. The choice was about trusting myself. I felt and thought into my next move. Instead of buying into the fear that would hold me back, I stepped out of my comfort zone into the unknown and stepped onto that plane.

“And then you found your destiny too!” She added, “You probably would have never discovered Spiritual Psychology - you may have stayed an Attorney or a Businessman, if you hadn’t followed that thread.”

“Yes, my destiny found me. If I had stayed in the comfort zone, who knows what would be happening for me today.”

If you’re still with me here reading this, then I know something about you.

You have a thread of destiny pulling you forward.

If that’s the case, you also have fear around it. How could you not?

It’s a normal, human state of mind. But it’s not who you really are.

Who you really are is trust, truth and faith. Even in the unknown leaps we are asked to take to move from a familiar life that’s starting to feel a little dry…
... into the mystery that propels us into authentic living.   

So, my short video for you today is about “Living with Cor.”

Feeling the fear and making a choice anyway. And how wonderful it is on the other side, even if  you’re afraid to take the first step.  

Check it out - and please feel free to comment with your thoughts and feelings.

By Nicola Albini, J.D., M.A.

I’ve just returned from a 5-day Enneagram retreat led by my friend and mentor, Robert Holden.

It was so amazing to be reminded that life really loves us. Life is really “for” us, rather than “against” us.  The purpose of life is to fulfill itself. When life is allowed to truly be lived, failure is never a possibility.

In fact, we are the origin of all that blocks the good things in life.  There is nothing outside of us doing that.

But why?  Why do we thwart our own happiness, success, and wellness?  Why do we struggle with the illusion that there is something outside of ourselves that is working against us?  Why do we still believe (in varying degrees) that we are incapable of influencing the direction our lives take?  

The answer is… because we are scared to be who we really are. 

But who are we?

In truth, we are the individualization of Source itself. Contained within us is divine intelligence, divine purpose, unlimited abundance, infinite love, and unfailing light. Contained within us is pure Presence.

Yet, most of us, most of the time are – to varying degrees – not coming from Source.  We are coming from Ego.

Ego is afraid. Ego is at the effect of life. Ego tries to pretend it’s God by imitating the qualities of the divine.  For example, instead of the polarity of light and love, the Ego creates good and evil.  Instead of infinite abundance and eternal “enoughness,” it creates consumerism and greed. Instead of essence, it creates personality.

Indeed, the Enneagram teaches us that we have nine different ways in which we fall out of Presence and we forget who we are, in an attempt to soothe our egos and play out our personalities in the world.

This wise and ancient model for self-awareness also invites us to examine where we get in our own way and become the biggest obstacle to all of that which we truly desire to experience.

What the Enneagram points out is that we try so hard to be good, we try so hard to be liked, we try so hard to shine and outshine the rest, we try so hard to be special and unique, to understand everything, we try so hard to be safe, we try so hard to find happiness, we try so hard to be in charge… and meanwhile, we try so hard to avoid conflicts at all costs.

Oh my, isn’t that exhausting?

So much trying, so much “efforting.” (And, by the way, we’ll never get there, wherever that place might be, that our minds tell us will FINALLY allow us to feel happy or safe or whatever we think we are missing.)

The path of the ego feels it is never enough. It procrastinates letting in love, and it constantly feels the need to improve the places it can’t accept.  It judges relentlessly. No matter how hard it tries, things don’t work out for long until the next self-improvement project becomes imminent.  

The way of Presence is to connect to our souls, to the essence of who really are, to our true nature. This is not a theoretical hypothesis; it’s an invitation to practice and experience living a different paradigm.

SO…what if we become willing to let go of all of that trying and searching and “efforting", and instead, relax into a state of allowing ourselves to be who we ARE, despite our strongest inner criticism?

What if we surrendered to this moment and lived as if we know life really loves us?

What if we simply practice these ideas, rather than preaching and “efforting” them in order to satisfy the constant need of the ego to demonstrate worthiness?

What if our worthiness is inherent, regardless of our achievements?

These ideas and principles truly work… IF we practice them and live in the questions, rather than satisfying the ego’s need to try to find all the answers.

Marianne Williamson once said: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.”

I believe that to be so true and so eye opening.

My friend, today I invite you to reflect on the self-inquiries I just shared and start looking deeply at all the ways you are blocking your success, your love, your happiness, your light.

And this is the commitment I would love for you to embrace:
“Today I commit to seeing that I have plenty of everything, that I am loved, and that my success, joy, and fulfillment is truly a matter of perspective.”

We can become our own best friends with the simple awareness of the ways we are not. This is the work of a lifetime, and it is the work that will set us free from suffering, and help others to set themselves free too.

And isn’t that truly the point of all of it?

By Nicola Albini, J.D., M.A.

Many of you have asked me about the significance of the Enneagram. In today's video I shed light on this amazing tool of transformation. The Enneagram is actually much more than a tool; it's a map for self-discovery and self-understanding.

The word “Enneagram” has its roots in two Greek words: “ennea,” which means nine, and “gram” which means map. In fact, it maps nine different ways in which we experience the world, in which we see the world, in which we receive the world. It's been super helpful in my life and it's been absolutely transformational for my clients as well.

I understand that many of you feel resistance to yet another personality assessment; however, what the Enneagram offers is so much more than just an assessment. It gives us direction for deeper understanding, for the greater truth of who we really are. 

The Enneagram is an amazing model for self-awareness that invites us to expand our self-observation and to really understand who we are at a much more authentic level. In truth, our personalities are just a stage upon which we have the role of playing ourselves. Yet, in no way are our personalities the entirety of who we are... our complexity is much more profound and more beautiful than that. The Enneagram points us in the direction of understanding that complexity so we can express more of our beauty.

This model is also wonderful for navigating our relationships, both personal and business. With this model, we are able to acknowledge why we do what we do, as well as understand why the “other” is doing what she/he is doing. When this understanding occurs, we are finally present enough to create harmony, improved communication, and, ultimately, better results in all our relationships.

So, my friends, now you understand how much I love the Enneagram. If what I've shared resonates for you, please watch this video so we can dive a little deeper together.

By Nicola Albini, J.D., M.A.

The beginning of a new year is a wonderful time to get real with ourselves and recognize “what truly is.”

It’s also perfect for letting go of what’s no longer a match for our current state of being, and for releasing what is stale and no longer serves us.

And, of course, it’s the ideal time to welcome in new possibilities.

All three of those activities require trust, openness, and curiosity. We get to see where we are afraid of change, and of the unknown.  We get to feel the raw energy of our desires. We have the opportunity to see where we are fostering our own creative powers and where we are shutting our creativity down and keeping our life force from entering it.  

Powerful manifesters (those people who are able to bring their dreams into reality with ease and grace) understand that the world is not happening to them, but, rather, it’s happening through them, or even as them.

But what does this mean, exactly?

It begins with the acceptance that we are responsible for every aspect of our lives. Every relationship, every opportunity, and every loss we experience is an out-picturing of the marriage between our thoughts and feelings, our karma and our choices, and most of all, our perception.

How we perceive our experiences determines what happens after that, and what happens after that... Perception is the difference between a flower and a weed, an illness and a healing opportunity, a failure and a valuable lesson.

As you begin to craft your reality for 2018, ask yourself:

Am I seeing my life and everyone in it through the eyes of love?
What do I want to see this year?  
What do I want to experience?

A powerful move toward manifesting the answers you give to these questions begins with a commitment to knowing that the opposite of whatever story you’re telling yourself about your life is as true or truer than your original story.

YOU are the source of the filter through which you interpret your life. YOU give meaning to what happens next. And whatever that next thing is, you get to decide if it’s moving you closer toward your dreams or not.  

As the poet Teddy Macker says: “Blessings often arrive as trouble.”

When we let go of our commitment to being right about our stories, we open the door to letting go of all the old baggage we’ve been lugging around for years and no longer need. When we let go of our stories, we open the door to everything.

I wish you all that you desire and require this year to bring your light more fully into the world.  I wish you the experience of being a vessel for Life to live you… wildly, beautifully, abundantly, brilliantly.