Welcome to the Enneagram MBA Podcast, a show for aspiring and growing entrepreneurs and unfulfilled employees who know they are capable of playing bigger. If you are wanting to identify your gifts, find your purpose, do work that matters, and create a ripple effect that goes beyond yourself, you're in the right place. Each week you'll get resources, strategies, and support to help you get to know yourself, to get to know and understand others, like your future clients, and help you get known so that you can reach more people with your gifts and purpose. So grab your notebook or open up your notes app, and I will see you in class. Welcome back to another episode here on the Enneagram OVEA podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Lynn, certified Enneagram coach and visibility consultant that is helping women entrepreneurs, women leaders get to know themselves, get to know and better understand their customers, clients, teams that they are leading, and then help them get known in a way that really aligns and embraces their strengths and gives them a specific path for how to do that in a way that doesn't always feel so hard or icky. And in today's episode, we are going to talk a little bit about how to use the concept today in our marketing material. So we're definitely going to be putting on our marketing hats and we're also just going to be putting on our self-awareness hats to learn more about ourselves. And we're going to put on a leadership hat to learn more about our customers and our clients and our teams and how they might be seeing the world differently, probably are seeing the world differently than us. And the topic today is around orientation to time. Orientation to time is really just how we tend, not always, um, not a hundred percent of the time, but how we tend to process and and view the world, like what time, past, present, or future. And the idea of orientation to time comes from a grouping on the internet, on the internet, on the Enneagram that we have covered in episode 23 here on the podcast called The Energy You Bring to Going After What You Want, around the withdrawn stance, the compliant or the dutiful stance, and then the assertive or aggressive stance. So each one of those stances has a lot of things within each one, and we covered that inside that episode. But one of the things that makes up each of those profiles is how you view time. And today we're going to be looking at that and how to use it in those different situations. So the first orientation to time, we're going to start with the past. And the benefit of this is these types, our fours, our fives, and our nines, um, have a tendency to be really reflective. How did that go last time? What can I learn and apply to the present, to the future, based on how things went last time? Oh, maybe I can avoid some mistakes by taking the time to reflect on that. Tend to be maybe really nostalgic. Um, the problem sometimes is getting caught in the past. And we're going to talk about that a little bit more in just a second as well. But for our fours, our type fours, who tend to view the world problems, challenges through the pastime orientation, is that they they are kind of the ultimate nostalgics on the Enneagram. Um, their thoughts and their feelings, their emotions center a lot of times around what has already happened. Um, sometimes what they regret, what went wrong, what's wrong about them, what's wrong about how they handled that. Um, and then also they may um romanticize a situation and play it over and over and over and kind of get stuck in the past in that way. Um, our type fives will get stuck sometimes in the past by analyzing what has already happened, trying to make sense of the previous experiences that they've had, their feelings that they've had in the past, and then try to come up with a logical solution to previous problems, which again has its pros and then also has its cons. If that's all you're doing is analyzing, analyzing, analyzing, and never taking action on what you're analyzing, um, on the insight that you're coming up with. And then our type nines, they each type has a mental fixation. And it just so happens that the type nines is in the ruminant has a ruminating um mental habit, is kind of their their dominant mental habit. And they tend to live their lives and ruminate their lives both in the positive and in the negative in the past, um, maybe feeling stuck and maybe unable to change their negative patterns or improve the good ones because of the ruminating they're doing in the past. And a challenge that this time orientation will have to be aware of is, you know, the stories that they're telling themselves about the past. I shared um something on Instagram a couple of weeks ago that has been one of the most commented on posts and that is directly um applicable to here. So I'll be touching on this for each one of the these. But sometimes we tell ourselves stories about why we don't have what we hit what we want or why we're not where where we want to be. And for those who tend to view the world in this past orientation, it's they're blaming their past circumstances. If only I had married somebody else, if only I had a different job, if only I had finished school, if only I had been born more rich, beautiful, handsome, um, if only my spouse or my child would stop filling the blank. Um, if only I had better parents, if only the pandemic didn't happen. And so kind of getting stuck on that past playlist. Now, as a marketer, as a somebody who has clients that might be in this past orientation to time, even if you don't identify with that as a four, a five or a nine, or you just don't identify with that past, um, others do. And so it's important to be aware of how they may be really nostalgic. And so, you know, in your marketing, you can use that to the benefit, you know, painting the picture of, you know, what once was. And then also, though, you know, reminding people um of how, of how what happened in the past and be able to use that, that information, those reflections to then bring them into the present and then take them into the future. So be sure that even if you don't identify with that, that you are taking that into consideration when you're working with somebody one-on-one, when you're having a difficult conversation, understanding how they might be seeing the world differently, and then um making sure that that time orientation is not left out of your marketing materials and your message. And and it and a specific example of this is using examples. So using examples of what happened in the past um can be a great way to tap into that past orientation to time energy. The next one is our present orientation to time, our ones, twos, and sixes. And obviously, this is a goal for, you know, so many of us to be living in the present in the moment more. And then the downside of that sometimes is forgetting how far you've come, all the challenges, all the things that you've overcome to get to where you are right now. And then also forgetting that even though there might be a mountain in front of you, what's on the other side of that mountain? There, there, there's you're gonna get over it, um, get over that mountain, but you kind of lose sight because you're just face to face with the mountain right in front of you. And so for a type one, and I have heard from several ones that they don't necessarily identify with the with the present orientation to time. They feel like they're living more in the future. So I have a note to come back to that in just a second. Um, but for our ones, what might happen with them is that they are really focused on the task at hand. They tend to be very task-oriented. So even though they have goals for the future, they're really focused on that to-do list and checking off each item, making sure that it's done correctly, perfectly, um, moment to moment, and that they're fixing anything that needs to be addressed along the way in real time. Our type twos, how they tend to experience that present orientation to time energy, is focused on other people who are right in front of them. And what is what does that person who is right in front of them need? And they will want to address that need immediately without thinking about what happened in the past when they did this for that person or did something like this for somebody else. What were the consequences? How did that go last time, not reflecting on that, and then also not really paying attention to the future consequences of helping addressing that person's needs in real time? Um, they're just so focused on that person right in front of them. And then the type six is really focused on what could go wrong right now. You know, we joke sometimes that sixes have contingency planning as their love language. And so they're constantly assessing the current situation. How safe am I? How um secure is this? What could go wrong? And, you know, even though it might seem like a little like planning for the future, it's what's right in front of me that I need to be ready for. And when I posed this question to my Enneagram University um alumni group that I'm a part of, that this was my um coaching certification that I went through. And I had said, you know, I've gotten um a comment on YouTube that from a type one who said they feel like they're really future focused, not present. I've gotten um a couple comments on Instagram when I posted this um this material on over there. And then I had a client who said, I just really identify with the future more so than the past. And what one of my um classmates said about this is that ones and even twos and sixes can feel like they're future oriented because they're planning or worrying about the future. So that feels future focused, but really, in fact, they are stuck on whatever is right in front of them. And the feeling, their feelings about that, that current situation dictates their thinking about the future, if that makes sense. So maybe you're looking ahead at the future, but it's because it's it the domino is starting in the present. It's something that's happening in that present moment. So hopefully that brings some clarity. And when I shared that with some of them that were kind of struggling to see how does the present affect me, that that was helpful specifically for those type ones. And then how this might show up for you in um maybe not meeting your getting your needs met, or um maybe stories that you might be circulating about why you're not where you are you're at, or you know, why you don't have what you want? Um, you might be thinking or you know, getting visible in in the moment, you're going to kind of think, what could go wrong um right now? And so this might look like, what if they don't like me? What if I make a mistake? What if I break my leg? What if I lose my job? What if I lose all my money? What if no one comes? What if no one buys it? What if I don't know the answer? What if this doesn't get better? So that might be some of the worrying about what could go wrong for our ones, twos, and sixes. And then if you aren't somebody who identifies with this as a dominant energy for you, making sure though that you're understanding the person in front of you might feel this way. They might be stuck in front of that mountain, forgetting how far they've come and then forgetting what's ahead of them, the possibilities in front of them. So, you know, being empathetic and understanding of how they're seeing the world versus how you might be. And then in your marketing and your sales materials, you know, painting the picture of what is life like for somebody right now. It's, you know, it's we want to focus on the result, the the benefit of using our product or our surface or um, you know, just going ahead and launching into a vision casting. Sometimes I'm guilty of this, but remember that when you're talking in the in your emails, in your lives, even on on a stage, to remember to paint the picture of where that person might be right now to connect with them, to let them know, listen, I see you, I get it. Listen, this doesn't have to be where where it stops. Here's something else. But it's hard to get to the here's what's possible if you don't let those people know that you see them in the present moment. And then lastly, our future orientation to group or orientation, future orientation group um is our threes, our sevens, and our eights. I still don't think I said that right, but I'm I'm so I got tongue twisted and now I just can't say it. Our future orientation to time group. Um and this is really beautiful because you are you can see the possibilities. You're really future focused. What can we do in the future? Vision casting, what an amazing um outlook for our leaders. And the problem is that you're so focused on the future, planning for the future, idealizing the future, getting excited for the future, that when it actually happens, when you get to the thing you've been planning for, that you've been looking forward to, um, that you've been working towards, you don't enjoy it because then when you get there, and then you're on to the next planning for the future. And so how this will look for our threes is that they tend to be very goal-oriented. Ones and threes. Um, sometimes ones are are gonna say, well, I'm really goal-oriented too. And they they are, right? You you have to have tasks to hopefully if you're you have a task list, you have a goal that you're working towards that align with that, that, those tasks. Um, but for the threes, they are they tend to be more a little bit more goal goal-oriented. They also have tasks. So there's some there's some overlap there, but they are very goal-oriented, very future focused. And then they also are wanting to get to that goal as quickly, as efficiently as possible. And so they'll, you know, get to the goal and then it's on to the next thing. How can we get to the next thing quickly, um, most effectively? What's the what's the quickest way from A to B? Whereas a one might think, what is how can we make sure that we're doing this the right way, the perfect way, the best way, not necessarily the most effective or quickest way. Our type sevens are going to experience the future time orientation um by constantly thinking about the next fun thing to do, the next adventure, the next green grass pasture. Um, planning for kind of staying busy, never allowing themselves to feel or be too present because there might be feelings that come up if they just sit with how they feel in the present or think about how that what happened in the past. So they're constantly living in the future, planning, and that is their mental um fixation. We talked about the nines mental habit, the nines mental fixation of ruminating. The sevens is planning, constantly planning, planning, planning. And so um there's a place and a time for that, right? Um, but don't forget to enjoy all the plans, all the things that you are actually looking forward to. Don't forget to enjoy them in the moment. And then type eight, also like our threes, um, and really all of all of us kind of in this group, very goal-oriented as well, planning exactly how to power past um any and all obstacles. So, how am I gonna blow up through this obstacle? And there's a place and a time for that as well. The challenge is going to be though, sometimes taking a pause and stopping to reflect how did that go for me last time? What might I need to change up before I just barrel through this obstacle in front of me? Is there anything I might need to tweak? Is there another approach? Is there another way that I might need to move through this obstacle that maybe didn't work last time? How could I change that? And then also getting plugged into the present moment, especially if you have a team, um, especially if you have a client right in front of you, a customer right in front of you. You know, how are they feeling in the moment? How are they, um, what's going on with them right now? What do they think about the situation that you might need to take into consideration before you make plans for the future is tapping into the present moment, how they're feeling, what they're thinking, what their opinions might be that could impact how you make that decision in the future. And then the way that sometimes our um threes, sevens, and eights um might not get to where they want to go, um, be who they want to be, is because they are waiting for something in the future to happen first. And this might look like, oh, when Prince Charming or my ideal woman finally come along, then I'll da-da-da, when the kids grow up, when the boss leaves, when I retire, when I'm more ready, when I lose 20 pounds, when I have more time, when the pandemic is over. So that might be something that you um will have to just be aware of if this is your dominant orientation to time. And then if this isn't your orientation to time, whether you're past or present dominant, making sure that you're including this in your client and customer conversations and then including this in your marketing materials, your um workshops, your stages where you're casting the vision, reminding people about what's possible. Um, and you know, hope like a hopeful message, right? And so we really need all three in our in those marketing messages, in our conversations um with customers, clients, with our team as a leader, and then also um for ourselves, understanding that, gosh, you know, as a type seven, being very tends to be very future focused. What's next? What's the next fun thing? Remind, remembering to slow down, enjoy that moment. And then also it's fun to be a little nostalgic and remember how far you you've come, how much you've um accomplished, and then remembering fun memories and and replaying those sometimes as opposed to just always being so future focused, what's next, right? Um, and then you could apply this to anything. But you know, if you're really past oriented, how can you be bringing some of that future and in the present and and you know, and same with being in the present? Um, how can you bring in the past and in the future to use for your benefit? And at the end of the day, this really just comes down to being intentional. First, you have to be aware of where you're starting out. You can't change, you can't get better, you can't necessarily grow the way that you want to without intention. And intention requires understanding where you're at right now, and then what other methods, what other tools, what other ways of thinking are available for you to tap into and use more strategically, use to your benefit of getting to where you want to go, being who you want to be, helping those that you want to help. And so this is one area of life that you now have some insight into how you might be seeing the world, and then some additional insight and clarity about how others so that you can be more intentional and tap into those others when you need it. So if anything surprised you today, if you have specific questions, connect with me over on Instagram or on LinkedIn, depending on where you hang out more. I'm at Enneagram MBA over on Instagram and then at Sarah Lynn Wallace over on LinkedIn. And I would love to hear from you. I, you know, this is very much a one-way conversation. So, you know, I'm recording this in a room by myself. And uh I would love to hear from you though and have a little bit of a conversation. So anything that surprised you that you learned that you're taking away that you're using, um, drop me a message. Let me know. I'd love to hear from you. And then I also want to let you know about something really exciting that I am working on behind the scenes. And depending on when you listen to this podcast, you might have heard a little bit about it at the beginning. Um, maybe not. Um, so I want to tell you about it right now. I am working on something called Anea Brand. And it's for those of you who are ready to actually put your Enneagram knowledge to use, to use it. And this is one of the biggest questions that I get after how do I find my type is how do I use? How do I use it? Now, like now what? Now it's just information about my type, fun party tricks or you know, party conversations, or I can follow fun memes and laugh, but beyond that, like what do I actually do with it? So this program is in response to that question, and then in response to some foundational knowledge that whether we work together one-on-one in the future or in a group or in any way, that you'll at least have this foundation for how to use the Enneagram and in both understanding yourself and then in your visibility strategy specifically. And so Ennea Brand is about understanding your entrepreneurial, your leadership, your professional profile when it comes to decision making, goal setting, um make creating aligned offers and services, and then using that information to create your aligned visibility plan that really comes, maybe it's not easy, but it's it can flow more. It's not such a push of what you should be doing. And so we talk about specific visibility strategies, and then you can overlap those with what you've learned about yourself to leave that program um with uh a clear and an aligned plan for yourself to get known, to get to know yourself and to get known. So um right now it's on pre-order. It's um Sara Lynn Co.com forward slash anyabrand. If you're listening to this during the March, the month of March 2022, um, you're going to get the program for $50 off. It's $95, plus a 15-minute spotlight session one-on-one with us, win one-on-one with me for us to discuss whatever visibility or self-awareness or uh self-understanding that you want to talk about. Um, we'll have that time together to do that. It's only available for those that pre-order. So make sure that you, if this is something, you know, you want to learn how to use the Enneagram specifically in your business, marketing, getting known, um, check that out. Um, I'd love to see you inside. Um, and I'd love to, you know, have you pre-order so that we can have that one-on-one time together. Again, Sarah Lynco.com forward slash Enneabrand. And with that, I will see you back here next week for another um Enneagram NBA podcast episode.