INFP Thrive for Enneagram 9s

We live in an age of cowards. Of people going along with the crowd because it’s the easy thing to do. It feels safer to throw stones at the other side than it does to stand for something positive and hopeful. There’s risk in questioning things and seeking other perspectives, whereas joining in the mob costs us nothing (except perhaps our character).

Courage is about stretching out of your comfort zone and doing the right thing. You won’t always get congratulated for that, but, when it comes to helping people out, they are almost always appreciative of kind gestures.

This episode discusses what courage is and how Stoicism and the Enneagram can help us cultivate more of it. Part 2 will dive into specific practices you can do to boost your bravery and good human cred.

https://sarahmikutel.com/freedom/live-courage-stoicism

❤️

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Most of our suffering comes from thoughts that we let run wild in our brains. 

We spend a lot of time each day rehashing different conversations and situations in our mind, and we think that we’re just reviewing facts. But we’re not. We’re reflecting on our own points of view, assuming what others think, worrying about the future, and ruminating about the past.

The ancient Stoics understood that our thoughts are nothing more than stories we tell ourselves. 

And modern mental health professionals agree with them that we should challenge the thoughts that pop into our heads and not automatically accept them as reality. 

You might be thinking, “That’s impossible. I have a million thoughts running through my mind. It’s not in my control. I’m anxious. I’m overwhelmed.”

In today’s episode, I’ll coach you on how to use a thought record to manage your mind so you can live a more resilient, calm, joyful, and compassionate life. 

I can’t overstate how essential this work is to your wellbeing. If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or frustrated that the changes you’re trying to make aren’t sticking, listen to this twice.

I've also created a thought record worksheet for you.

Full show notes can be found at sarahmikutel.com

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Janus is the Roman god of beginnings and endings, transitions and passageways, doorways and duality, amongst several other things. 

And he was one of my favorite sculptures in my town’s art Triennial this year, formally known as the Creative Folkestone Triennial 2021. 

High up on the East Cliff, in a little park overlooking the ocean, stood this massive head of Janus, who’s typically portrayed with two faces, one facing toward the future and the other face looking toward the past. 

That's what this artwork looked like: a gleaming white, massive head of Janus with one face looking toward the harbour and the other face looking back toward the houses on the street.

The sign next to Janus said, “It looks out to sea towards Europe and inland to England, contemplating what connects us as well as what divides us. It is made of plaster and chalk and will gradually degrade and disintegrate, reflecting the gradual erosion of the coastline as well as Folkestone’s history as a fort of England.”

And he did melt away, helped along by vandals, by the time the Triennial ended this month. A pile of white dust and plaster on the green grass. 

Memento mori, as the Stoics would say. We will all end up like Janus. And most of us live with that same duality: One part of us pondering the future, another replaying the past. 

And we’re missing this moment. The present moment.

Let's change that.

❤️

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

A few months ago, I downloaded the Waking Up meditation app. Founder Sam Harris compares the average mind with a sky clouded with light pollution. He says that meditation is like building a telescope that can cut through that fogginess so you can access “the sky of the mind.” 

And that’s what the Enneagram and Stoicism help us do, as well. Cut through the clouds to get more clarity and set us free from our patterns.

But we can’t change who we are by simply thinking about it, or passively reading a book on getting over anxiety or silencing your inner critic, or whatever patterns you’re stuck in. You have to involve both the body and the mind to create new neural pathways and if you want to make change stick. 

Learn how in today's episode :)

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Want to connect on Insta? Find me here

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

In my episode on Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, Donald Robertson offered some techniques we can use to manage our anger toward people who hold views that we strongly disagree with.

Today I want to talk to you about becoming more aware of your anger style, and to share more practices you can use to conquer your anger and also to learn from it. And you might learn about your partner or parent’s anger style, as well.

Because we don’t all experience anger in the same way. Some people think they never get angry.

But anger is a human emotion that we all experience, whether we realize it or not, and how we experience it depends on several factors, including our Enneagram type, level of mental and emotional wellbeing, and our personal development work.

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

For several years I've been interviewing women like myself who packed up everything to start a new adventure in another part of the world.

One of the core values that I talk about is that we will never have this day again -- make it matter. It's my softer way of saying 'If you died tomorrow, would you be satisfied with how you lived this day?'

I knew I didn't invent this way of thinking but I didn't realize that Stoics have been talking about this for thousands of years until I learned about the greatest philosopher king, Marcus Aurelius, who ruled until 180 A.D.

He said, “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” (Greg Hays translation).

Marcus wrote down many words of wisdom, and I want to share his story today because he's an ideal example of how we can all live a good life, no matter what obstacles come our way.
 
I'm joined again by Stoic expert Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, which explains the Stoic philosophy via Marcus' fascinating story. It's my favorite book on Stoicism! Get the audiobook for free if you're new to Audible by signing up for a trial at audibletrial.com/postcard

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Even though I haven't lived in the U.S. for 10 years, I've been in Italy and England for most of this time, I still pay close attention to my home country.

At the time of this recording, it's 2020. The U.S. just ended the most contentious and vitriolic political campaign season I've seen in my lifetime.

I see the divisiveness and bitter partisanship. People are becoming more tribal. Canceling out opposing views. At the same time people seem desperate for connection and to be part of something greater than themselves.

And then I look around and see what they're gravitating toward. If they're not religious, it seems social media and YouTube are sucking them into extremist groups, gangs, and conspiracy theories.

I wondered what it would it look like if we could offer them a peaceful, compassionate, hopeful alternative idea to believe in.  Then I realized this idea already exists in Stoicism, a 2,300-year old philosophy that essentially says: Live your values. Don’t worry about things that are beyond your control. Be a person of good character who looks out for other people.

It's a practical philosophy on how to live a good life and will be one of the primary ideas I'll discuss on this show. Because like the Enneagram, Stoicism gives us the tools we need to increase our self awareness, be more present, and to respond to life in a mindful way and not out of emotion or habit.

Consider this episode Stoicism 101.

I couldn't think of a better person to talk to about this than Donald Robertson, a Stoic expert and a cognitive behavioral therapist. He's written my favorite books on modern Stoicism, including Stoicism and the Art of Happiness and How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. AND, he's an expat/world wanderer: a Scotsman who moved in Canada but has been appropriately hanging out in Athens for a good part of this year.

Enjoy the show!

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

[UPDATE: I've since changed the name of my newest podcast to LIVE Without Borders, merging it with my original travel and wellbeing podcast. The purpose: Freedom is about more than getting on a plane. It’s about becoming the most heroic version of yourself. I want to help you live your best life without literal or self-imposed borders.]

Why hello there. The holiday season has just about come to an end, but I hope you are still finding time to relax this weekend.

If you’re looking for something to listen to, I wanted to let you know about my new personal transformation podcast, Part of Something Greater, a show for peacefully ambitious people who are ready for more peace, happiness, and connection in their life.

I’ll be talking a lot about raising self awareness through Stoicism and the Enneagram and while all 9 types can benefit from this show, I think it will be especially helpful for you, and you are who I had in mind when I created it.

I’m sharing one of the first few episodes of Part of Something Greater here. If you like it, you can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you love it, please share it with a friend and consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.

Alright, enjoy this episode and I hope your 2021 is off to a beautiful beginning.

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

What do you do when someone takes advantage of you or tells YOU how YOU'RE feeling? You might want to cozy up in bed with a pillow on your head. But advocating for yourself and tackling the problem head on will make you feel better. You deserve to be your biggest advocate :)

Xo Sarah

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Are you treating yourself as well as you treat your best friend?

The next time you find yourself holding back when you want to ask for help, consider how you'd respond if a friend asked the same of you.

Xo Sarah

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.