What Is Calling You? | January Enneagram Reflection

As we move into 2026, we have an opportunity to take stock, pause, and reflect. And no, I don’t mean New Year’s resolutions. Very few people keep those (8%, apparently!). The New Year is a good time to look back and to consider what is calling us as we step into the future.

I wonder what you have noticed over your Christmas break. What still holds you captive? Where do your type patterns show up? What really presses your buttons?

And what does your heart long for? How do you treat, talk to, or judge yourself? Often, this is so different from how we treat others.

Wherever we are on our Enneagram journey, life brings our attention to certain things we can work on—gently and compassionately.

The Inner Observer

That’s where our inner observer comes in.

Can we find a bit of distance from what life is throwing at us? Can we take a step back to see what is really going on?

• What thoughts keep us captive?

• Which connections drain our energy?

• What are we rushing into without considering where it will lead us?

• What or who energises and fulfils us?

  
  

As always, our Centres of Intelligence provide clues about where to look.

When we seek to move towards the new, there is always an ending—a letting go of something that has gone before.

It is hard to make space for the new when the old ways still hold sway. Of course, it’s a gradual process that takes time, but it starts with a decision.

A wise person once described it to me as putting down a bouncy ball.

While we keep bouncing the ball, it will continue to bounce back into our hand. If we choose to let it go, the bouncing will lessen, and it will eventually roll away.

We can always choose to pick it back up again and go on bouncing. And we can always choose to let go when we notice we have picked it up.

No judgement for picking it up again. No judgement for bouncing the ball again. Just noticing and choosing.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? As with many things, of course, it’s not easy.

What ball do you need to let go of in 2026?

What is Calling You This January?

Now, let’s look forward into the new year.

As we put down the old, new possibilities arise. New things are waiting in the wings of our lives, as William Bridges puts it in his book, Transitions.

• What do we want to make space for?

• What new perspectives do we want to create?

• What do we want to give ourselves to?

  
  

Sometimes, it is not about goals but about openness—a receptiveness to what comes our way.

We must be aware of our patterns that can lead us toward procrastination, vagueness, driven-ness, or dwelling too much in one of the three centres to the detriment of the others.

Can we gently nudge ourselves in a different direction than we would normally take?

Waiting instead of acting (or acting instead of thinking!). Engaging instead of withdrawing (or withdrawing instead of ploughing in!).

Walking the Journey with Others

As always in the Narrative Enneagram, we encourage community along with listening to our own inner voice.

Who can help us on this journey this January and beyond? Who can we share our hopes and dreams for the coming year with?

Gentle accountability can help us move forward, baby step by baby step, into what the year holds for us. We are each responsible for our own personal growth, yet there is something very special about being witnessed as we tread lightly along our own path.

You may find our blog on Personal development with the Enneagram helpful in this context.

A Blessing for the Year Ahead

As we journey into 2026, here are a few words from John O’Donohue, from his poem For a New Beginning:

Awaken your spirit to adventure;

Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;

Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,

For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

Continue Your Enneagram Journey with Us in 2026

If this reflection has stirred something in you—curiosity about your patterns, a desire for deeper presence, or simply a sense that there is more to discover—we would love to welcome you into our learning community.

At Enneagram Training UK & Ireland, we teach through the Narrative Tradition, using story, presence, and lived experience to help you see your patterns with clarity and compassion.

Our Foundation and Professional pathways offer space to explore who you are, how you relate, and what supports your growth. As we move into a new year, there are many opportunities to continue your Enneagram journey. You can explore what’s coming up and find the right next step for you on our events page.