Show Your True Colors

Show Your True Colors

What are your true colors? Most people are only vibrating at a pastel hue when they could be a vibrant orange, red or blue.

Come alive. It takes not only knowing but acting on what makes you come alive that makes your true colors shine. Unfortunately what holds people up is the belief that what they want to do or be won’t be liked, accepted, respected or acknowledged. That is a shame because then it’s fear that is holding you back from being who you are and thereby letting your true colors come shining through.

The song True Colors sums it up quite nicely.

“You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It’s hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow”

So what colors will your rainbow be?

It’s More Important to be Right

Is it?  Thank about how many arguments and disagreements, whether personally, professionally or even by governments have escalated and continued on simply because one or more individuals made it more important to be right? Even after the agreement is long over sometimes and individual wants to have the last word by either out right saying or it or by implying that they were right.  Take it for what it is, insecurity.

Instead of looking at the disagreement from a broader perspective and being diplomatic the person is focused on his own viewpoint and insists his way is correct. Of course, if he’s right than you must be wrong and must be smarter than you, none of which is true.  It just makes him better. Instead of taking his emotions out of it and doing what is best for all concerned he’s made his emotions and viewpoint more important.

It takes a wise person to rise above the chaos of disagreements and tactfully convey to those involved to see the broader perspective.  It can’t be achieved in a lecture, shouting, telling tone of voice but in a confident, calm rational and objective voice.  Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa are examples of people who calmly state with conviction their point of view and still got results.

When you find yourself in and argumentative tone, ask yourself what you’re making more important.  Ask yourself, “If I took out my emotions so that I had no involvement in the content of the discussion, would I react the same way?”

It’s something to think about.  However, it’s far more likely that you won’t think to ask yourself that question in the heat of a discussion but likely later when you have time to reflect on it.  That’s okay. That’s how you learn.

Have you found yourself making your viewpoint more important than the broader perspective? If so, please share your experience.

Please! Try and Keep Up

Please! Try and Keep Up

Try and keep up with where your true awesome self is trying to take you. Seriously, sometimes you can be your own worst enemy.  There are enough people out there trying to stop you from being your true self. You don’t need to buy into it.  It’s just their way of keeping you small so they can feel better about themselves.

Remember when you were young and had a dream.  It was a really big dream.  You could go on and on about it.  The more you talked about it the more grand it became.  Details started to emerge and then you’d add even more to this grand plan of yours. 

And then what happened?  I’ll tell you what happened.  Some well meaning adult likely shattered your dream by throwing their version of reality in front of you. They told you that it wasn’t possible or started asking you how you would go about making it happen thereby forcing you to see all the obstacles in the way. 

The Universe doesn’t work that way.  It takes care of the how.  You just have to think about what you want, believe that it will happen and bit by bit you’ll start taking steps to make it happen.  The Universe provides the tools and contacts for you.  What you have to do is take advantage of the opportunity placed before you. Oh, and it’s not always going to show up all peaches and cream without a hint of struggle.  Sometimes those struggles are what you need to go through to prepare you for the next step.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  Can it be that easy?  You’ll never know unless you try.

So get busy and start dreaming big.  And for Pete’s sake, try and keep up with what the Universe keeps giving you. It’s for your own good.  

Follow your heart. Follow your impulse.

Satisfaction Factor 101

Follow your heart. Follow your impulse.

Steve Jobs, Apple Inc Founder has a great quote about this very thing. He says, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice, and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary”

Basically he’s saying to be true to yourself, YOUR heart, YOUR dream, YOUR desire and not someone else’s.  You’ll never find happiness chasing someone else’s vision of what they want and desire for you.  Only when you follow you own vision will you find the satisfaction and happiness that you not only desire but deserve?

You need to listen to you inner voice of wisdom and follow the impulse where it leads.  How do you know if it’s right for you?  That’s easy.  It feels right.  Pay attention to how it makes you feel. If you have even the slightest hesitation or negative gut reaction it won’t make you feel good about yourself. It means you’re not being true to yourself.  Follow your impulse, instinct call it what you will.  Only by following where it leads will the happiness and satisfaction you seek be yours.