The colour of life

A co-worker dropped by my office yesterday to check up on a situation that had arisen Tuesday. As we talked about what had happened, and its import from a 'big picture' view, he quoted Stephen Covey from The 7th Habit, "I cannot talk my way out of a problem I behaved my way into."

If I want to change my world, I must change my behaviour.

And change is not always a black and white decision. Do this. This will happen. Do this and oh oh you know what's gonna happen!

Change has many colours seen always from the perspective of each individual involved. In working in a group setting, change is all the colours of the rainbows, including the colours of resistance!

And, what I resist, persists.

At Choices, we talk about the 6 Points of Power and their relevance to daily living. The 6 Points of Power are:

1. Pay Attention
2. Speak the Truth
3. Be responsible for YOUR life (stay unattached to someone else's outcome)
4. Ask for what you want
5. Keep YOUR agreements
6 Create value in all things.

Taken singularly, each point has value. Taken as a whole, the 6 points create a life of value.

Applying these points in my life is a constant journey through focus, paying attention, turning up, speaking my truth -- and staying unattached to the outcome. Even in those moments when I want to rip someone's face off because I think they acted like a jerk!

What I think about their actions isn't the issue. Especially when my thoughts are based on my black and white thinking propelled by my knee-jerk reaction to the pain and not a thought-felt, heart-driven response filled with the colour of empathy.

How I behave, how I respond, is a reflection of me, my values, my beliefs, my principles.

I struggle with this one sometimes. Not because it's hard, it's not. I struggle because my habit is to not 'speak my truth' because I will avoid confrontation at all costs, not take responsibility for my life where possible, and I will not ask for what I want.

All of those responses are fear based. And when I live in fear, my world is dark.

To move beyond fear into my power requires me to turn up in my own life without fear of being less than, other than, or nothing than a ..... (fill in the blank. It requires me to checkout where my talking, which includes my silence, set me up.

For me, living life in technicolour lets me move beyond my fear. Fearlessly I paint my world every colour of the rainbow because my palette includes all the emotions. Anger, (I see red). Sadness, (I feel blue). Happiness, (Walking on sunshine) To live joyously, I must be awash in colour, and not fall into rigid black and white thinking where right is right and wrong is wrong and I'm the only one who knows the difference.

Alice Walker wrote, “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.”

Personally, I have no desire to piss God off! What I want to create is a joyful world where colour abounds as I dance in the sunshiney hues of love and beauty.

Today, my world is a colourful tapestry of rich and vibrant hue. As I weave a joyful streak through my day, I pull the threads that add value and meaning to whatever I do. They are colourful.

To make a difference, I need to be different. To create change. I need to change.

The question is: What colour is your day? Are you willing to live the colours of the rainbow and change the tones on your palette?