This past Friday, I did a fun little thing. I filmed an Enneagram video series I can’t wait to tell you more about. It was so much fun and I was reminded of just how much I believe in the Enneagram as a tool to truly understand and care for ourselves like never before.

To tee it up, I want to unpack something with you here as a little self-care appetizer of sorts. After all, I really do believe in this stuff and have been changed from the inside out as I’ve put these tools and practices to work in my life throughout the last decade. I selfishly want you to know and love them too!

There’s one caveat though—before we start any type of self-care regimen, I believe it’s important to lay some groundwork in order to build a strong foundation so it will stick.

As the Enneagram teaches us responsiveness rather than reactivity, I believe this is true not just with how we navigate experiences in life, I believe it’s true as we start a new self-care plan.

I believe the big reason our grand schemes for change and improvement don’t work is simple: we don’t build a strong foundation first. By this I mean, we don’t do what’s necessary to understand ourselves and why we want to see change in the first place. Typically, we just don’t feel good or we think we need something external to fix whatever feels broken inside in order to attain self-acceptance and love.

And that’s the kicker. It’s why we don’t sustain lasting, life-giving change: we are working against instead of with. We are trying to fix rather than understand. We are looking to escape rather than truly connect.

Well, Lovely, let me be the one to tell you you don’t need fixing...you actually have everything right inside of you to thrive. You lack NOTHING.

And that’s where we start. From a place of wholeness, not lack. That is the magical, sacred, special sauce that we all need a heavy dose of before we dive headfirst in the direction of our desires.

Self-care and compassion must be built on the firm foundation of a wholeness mindset that says, “I am loved” or "I open up to Love.” After all, you were born into this world as pure essence—as love. Sure, we inevitably fall and get scraped up along the way, however, it doesn’t change the simple truth that our first foundation is one of love, not lack.

And so, we sure up the foundation. We mend the shaky parts. We ask ourselves, “How can I harness 5% more of the original loving essence that is my birthright?”

That’s our baseline work. To practice living into the love that is already there so the building blocks of self-care and compassion will stick.

It’s so simple, and yet we often overcomplicate it. You are called to shine brightly in love. This is the place we thrive from.

Love & Gratitude,

Katie