“I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful.
If not, it can’t be helped.” — Fritz Perls

Overview of the Enneagram Type 8: The Challenger, Leader, Protector, Boss

If you are a type 8, you are open, direct, driven, strong-willed and all powerful. The thrill of breaking barriers excites you. Taking pride in overcoming adversity, you love taking on challenges. You understand what it takes to reach great heights and you seek to develop strength, tenacity and resilience. Nothing deters you.

You are also charismatic. With strong persuasive abilities, you possess an innate ability to influence others to follow your lead in endeavors such as waging wars, starting a new company, managing a task force and so on. You have a commander’s aura.

In fact, you like others to see you as protective and powerful. If the people you care about are being bullied, you have no hesitation in standing up for them. Devotion to your inner circle of friends is key!

With such attributes, you are one who rises up to take on responsibility easily. Most certainly, you like being in charge. You may be a CEO in a big company or you may simply be running a household. Whatever your role is, holding on to power and control is something that you gravitate towards.

Highly independent, you resist subordination of any sort. You do not desire in following the crowd. Neither does the opinion of others bother you too much. You do not suffer fools gladly. You have no qualms about standing up for your beliefs and speaking your mind. Put simply, you cut to the chase. You have the ability to see things as they are, even for things that are complex and confusing.

“Never be afraid to dare. And never imitate. Play without asking for advice.” – Vladimir Horowitz

Famous personalities include Winston Churchill, Saddam Hussein, Martin Luther King Jr, Theodore Roosevelt, Pablo Picasso, Susan Sarandon, Sean Connery, Jack Nicolson, Roseanne Barr, Aretha Franklin, Sean Penn, Richard Burton, Joseph Stalin, Donald Trump and Clint Eastwood.

The Shadow Side of Enneagram Type 8: Bully, Intimidator, Bossy

“Every positive value has its price in negative terms… the genius of Einstein leads to Hiroshima.” Pablo Picasso

Beneath the tough exterior is vulnerability. As a Type 8, you fear being disempowered or controlled in some way. You do not like the idea of being hurt and so you take strong measures to ensure that this does not happen. In the process, you take your health for granted and overlook the well-being of others.

You go through extreme lengths to protect your loved ones from harm. However, you often find it ironical that your efforts are not fully appreciated. You are not able to comprehend that it is because of your assertiveness that turns them off. It happens when you are invading too much into their space. As a result, they distance themselves from you.

In the process, you prefer to bury your hurt and not talk about it. Because you dislike feeling vulnerable, you strive to put on the appearance of being strong. Maintaining intimate relationships can be tough for you. Secretly, you fear being caught unguarded, harmed or betrayed in any way.

With your personality, working for someone else is not exactly your cup of tea. You demand a lot out of life and mediocrity does not appeal to you either. Working in a hierarchical organization makes you feel disconnected and uneasy.

At low conscious levels, you often come across as hard, indifferent, exacting, aloof and insensitive. Others find you rather intimidating due to your strong energy and domineering personality. They do not like the idea of being unmasked and exposed by you and prefer to stay far away from you.

What is core is that you have got control issues. When provoked, your anger turns into rage. On the extreme, you become a bully as you dislike any sign of weakness. You can get rather brutal.

“When somebody challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough.” – Donald Trump

Opportunities for Growth For Enneagram Type 8

Your spiritual path is to about giving up the need to control everything. You learn that true strength comes not from domineering others but surrendering to a higher power. Also, asking for forgiveness is not a sign of weakness but a sure indicator of courage and strength.

You also learn about not going into extreme behavior. Opportunities for growth take place when you move along the grid line to a Type 5. You step back and reflect, instead of overreacting and coming across aggressively. Thus, you learn to tone down the intensity of your responses and be less confrontational when stressed.

At your best, you are a natural leader. You have got powerful instincts. You are authoritative and being decisive, you have the ability to make things happen rather quickly. You have the statue of being a commander and an influencer.

With a no-nonsense attitude, you are willing to carry responsibility. You courageously step up to fight a cause. You are more interested in applying your talents and strengths for the betterment of mankind.

You can be a steadfast friend. You also tend to be very generous when it comes to those under your care. As you grow, you become more sensitive to the feelings of others like a Type 2 and more willing to extend your help to the weak and powerless.

“I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.” — Martin Luther King

Positive Affirmations for Enneagram Type 8

I am most fulfilled when I help others.
I open my heart to others.
I can be gentle and strong at the same time.
I am peaceful and calm.
I am in touch with my emotional needs.
I extend a helping hand to those who need support.
Everyone is my teacher.
I respect the decision of others.
I am sensitive to the needs of others.
I practice patience.
I embrace every part of me, including my weaknesses.

Round-The-Enneagram Series

I am on a Round-The-Enneagram tour, covering all 9 Enneagram Types in turn. Over the course of 9 weeks, I will be laying out positive affirmations aimed at serving the path of growth for each Enneagram Type. Here are the links to the previous two articles:

Enneagram Quiz: How would You Cross the River?

Enneagram Type 1: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

Enneagram Type 2: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

Enneagram Type 3: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

Enneagram Type 4: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

Enneagram Type 5: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

Enneagram Type 6: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

Enneagram Type 7: Positive Affirmations for Path of Growth

The Enneagram is a tool for transcendence. Through the grid of the Enneagram, you learn about integrating your highest values and embracing your shadow side. By releasing ego attachments and affirming the path of growth, you are on the way to gaining spiritual wholeness.

Love and Abundance Always,

Enneagram Executive Coach

P.S. Which Enneagram Type are you? Does this post reflect your attributes as a Type 8? Share more about your attributes in the comment section below if you are a Enneagram Type 8!!

P.S.S. Please share this post on social media to promote awareness in the personality self.

by EVELYN on December 7, 2015

First, let me introduce myself. My vision is to turn dreams into reality through self awareness, inspiring others to do the same. The various roles I play in the school of life include being a life coach, mother, wife, ex-Banker, Singaporean, and an internet entrepreneur. In terms of qualifications, I am also a Certified Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner, an Intuitive Consultant, and Vision Board Counselor. On this blog, I share about the various personal insights I have gained, my successes and challenges. I have since published books and programs such as Abundance Alchemy: Journey of Gold,Self-Love Secrets and Life Vision Mastery.

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