What's in a Name?

What’s in a name?  That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet

-Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

I’m a sucker for good names.  I actually keep a (long) list of potential baby names on my notes app and update it whenever I hear another one I like.  My current favorites: Liberty and Valentine Xavier.  Concurrently, I’ve been debating about my business name for sometime and Enneagram New York City didn’t seem to fit just right.

Whereas it’s true that I live in New York City, and am currently building a community of Enneagram Enthusiasts here, I offer my services nationally, and ultimately envision the business having a Global Reach.

I also believe it’s important to choose a name that captures what the business is about.  The services I currently offer and intend to provide in the future are geared towards making the Enneagram a part of your daily life, showing how it is applicable to your own personal development, as well as in regards to your relationships, and even in the workplace.

When people ask me: What is the Enneagram?  My go-to playful response is: If yoga and psychotherapy had a love child, it would be the Enneagram.  It’s a process of self-discovery, a practice of mindfulness, and a journey of compassion.  It serves as a map to understanding yourself and others in your life.  It provides a framework to transform your life.  It’s difficult to define because it is both complex and fundamental.

Then it hit me yesterday.  I’m changing the name of my business to: Art of the Enneagram.

Art, as defined in The New Oxford American and the World English Dictionaries means the following.

art (noun)

·      the expression or application of human creative skill

·      the skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice

·      method, facility, knack

The Enneagram is not a quick fix; it’s not a magic pill.  It can be, however, the most effective tool to make lasting changes in your life.  As my teachers in the Narrative Tradition taught me, what the Enneagram requires is intention, attention, repetition and guidance.  When you make it a practice, like yoga, you start to peel away the layers of habits that no longer serve you, and blossom into the person you’re meant to become. 

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the names of the nine Enneagram types, as they each have variations.  I say, choose whichever one you think/feel/sense captures you the most.  

Elizabeth Elkins, MFA, Certified Enneagram Consultant with Art of the Enneagram offers individual and group sessions, as well as workshops.  If you’re curious about how the Enneagram functions in your life, schedule a Discover Your Type session today.  Or sign up here to tune into the weekly blog and to hear about upcoming events.