When I was a child, I became interested in personalities once I was old enough to understand that I was a Sagittarius, with a personality distinct from the other eleven zodiac signs. I didn’t put too much stock into the description at the time because I didn’t feel it really fit me. Then again, probably none of the descriptions really fit me because my personality was still taking shape. My dad, a level-headed pragmatist, did believe that one’s birth sign could have an influence on one’s growth and development because he firmly believed in planting his garden crops according to the signs in the Old Farmer’s Almanac (and his garden always yielded an abundance despite his investing little time and effort in it). In his mind, if the arrangement of the stars and the planets could affect the development of a plant, why not also a person?
I know that personality psychologists mostly debunk all of the above paradigms, except perhaps for some who give the MBTI the credit it’s due. Still, I find it fascinating that now in my 60’s, I can see clear alignment among these three personality indicators. Even my results on the Five Factor Traits of Personalities, which is more widely accepted by personality psychologists, aligns with my zodiac, MBTI, and Enneagram descriptions. According to the Five Factor model, my strongest preferences are for Openness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness. My weakest? Conscientiousness. I chalk that up to my restless, independent, exploratory nature.
I asked ChatGPT to tell me what my zodiac, MBTI, and Enneagram personality preferences have in common. Following is what it gave me:
ENFP (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving), Sagittarius, and Enneagram 7 all share a common energetic, adventurous, and free-spirited nature. Here’s how they align:
1. Love for Freedom & Adventure
• ENFPs thrive on spontaneity, new experiences, and personal growth.
• Sagittarius is known as the explorer of the zodiac, always seeking knowledge, travel, and expansion.
• Enneagram 7s are "The Enthusiasts," constantly chasing excitement and avoiding boredom.
2. Optimism & High Energy
• ENFPs are naturally enthusiastic and see possibilities everywhere.
• Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of optimism and abundance.
• Type 7s are known for their upbeat attitude and ability to reframe negatives into positives.
3. Restless & Easily Bored
• ENFPs can struggle with long-term commitment and need variety.
• Sagittarius is notorious for being noncommittal, always looking for the next thrill.
• Enneagram 7s avoid pain and discomfort by seeking distractions and new experiences.
4. Deep but Playful Thinkers
• ENFPs may seem lighthearted, but they have deep philosophical sides.
• Sagittarius loves intellectual discussions, especially about meaning and truth.
• Type 7s are curious and love diving into new ideas, though they may not always follow through deeply.
Overall, this combo is full of life, thrives on possibilities, and seeks excitement, meaning, and joy at every turn.
I can honestly say that I agree with ChatGPT’s summary 100%.
1. Love for Freedom and Adventure: While I in no way consider myself to be a risk-taking thrill-seeker, I do love new experiences and cultural adventures. I also abhor tight schedules and rigid rules. Give me flexibility and room to explore and do my own thing in my own way in my own time.
2. Optimism and High Energy: I channel the spirit of Pollyanna, the indefatigable look-on-the-bright-side girl in the famous story by Eleanor Hodgman Porter and the eponymous classic Disney film. I can find the silver lining behind almost any cloud. And while I’ve never considered myself “high energy,” my mind—especially my imagination—seems to be constantly turning and spinning with ideas.
3. Restless and Easily Bored: Absolutely me. I loathe long car rides and flights, waiting rooms, queues—you name it. If it eats up my time, I don’t like it. The only lines worth waiting in are for something really, really worth it to me. Some might call me a scanner, constantly surveying the horizon for the next new, interesting thing to focus my attention on.
4. Deep but Playful Thinkers: As I said above, my mind is constantly turning with ideas and scenarios. I adore “What if” questions and have always been a ponderer. Even as a child, I was somewhat of a spiritual seeker. As an adult that manifested in becoming a strong fan of franchises such as Star Trek and Star Wars. Don’t ask me how I know, but I just know that we’re not alone in the universe, that cryptids are real, and that magic exists. OK, I don’t know know, but I have very strong hunches about things and enjoy digging into the mysteries of the multiverse.
In my opinion, personalities are something deeper than mere neuroscience can explain. To me, they represent an aspect of ourselves that I would call spiritual, and that’s what makes them hard to measure with pure science. My personality is the essence of who I am, that piece that makes me recognizable and distinct, both in positive and negative terms. The positive aspects are my strengths, like optimism, imagining possibilities, seeking wisdom and knowledge, and seeing connections between people, things, and events. The negative aspects, like becoming easily bored and constantly shifting my attention among things, keep me humble and remind me that I’m not perfect and will always have something to work on.
If you’d like to know more about personalities in terms of MBTI and Enneagram, head over to www.truity.com for some free assessments. The free reports will be enough to get you started on your self-exploration journey, and the paid reports are inexpensive and more detailed. Just remember, any general personality assessment is merely a tool to help us understand ourselves better.
I hope you enjoy getting to know yourself as much as I have enjoyed my own journey of self-discovery and growth through personalities.
MJ Isham
March 2025
