“I love red so much that I almost want to paint everything red.”
Alexander Calder’s enthusiasm is uplifting and contagious, so let’s follow his example to focus our own attention on the things we ourselves really care about. It’s easy to get distracted. It’s easy to overthink things, and it’s easy to find reasons to go in multiple directions. But as we get a little lost in those twists and turns, here’s a reminder that it only takes a few simple questions to get back on track. What gets you in a positive space? What makes you happy? What do you really love? The message to focus on your passion comes across even more clearly because it happens to be the color red that makes Alexander Calder feel so good. He’s chosen a color associated with a wide variety of emotions, ranging all the way from the heat of burning anger to the euphoria of deep and abiding love. As befits the idea of true passion, a lot of feelings, all of them strongly held, get linked with the color red. In a different vein, for those familiar with the lingo of the chakras, red is also the color associated with one’s personal foundation. As such, it helps you ground, center, and find support. It goes without saying that the stronger one’s roots and connections to what’s most fundamental, the more clarity and certainty with which one’s purpose can be fulfilled/passions developed. Finally, the color red simply grabs your attention, forcing you to engage with what it wants to say. And in this case, as represented by Alexander Calder’s enthusiasm, what red wants you to put front and center is to find the things that really keep you energized. Doesn’t Mr. Calder get you, as he did me, thinking about the things that you really love? Doesn’t he do so in a really vivid way? Doesn’t his excitement, which might lead him to paint not only everything, but for all we know everyone, red, get your attention? How do these ideas resonate with you, what are some of your own passions, and what one or two specific actions might you take this week to bring a little more of them into your life?
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“He hangs in shades the orange bright / Like golden lamps in a green night.”
It turns out that the poem “Bermudas,” from which this line was taken, was written about a group of sailors journeying in the 1600s presumably from somewhere in Europe to the islands of Bermuda; and it turns out that the “he” who turns the orange bright into “golden lamps in a green night” is in fact in praise of the God who kept the crew safe throughout their difficult journey and who brought them at the end to a truly wonderful land. As with all good poetry, there’s the potential for many take-aways. There’s the beautiful colors, particularly welcoming as they represent the culmination of a long and arduous voyage. There’s the emphasis on a religious deity and all the wonders and comforts that can come from the belief in such an omnipotent being. There’s the profound idea that that omnipotent being is not only at hand but also is actively working for each of us as a protector and as a provider of good. For me, one other piece stands out too. To the extent that a deity serves as such an active protector and provider, what about the possibility for each of us in turn to more consciously take action to protect, to nurture, and to provide for each other? What if each of us in a more active way tried to become, as they say, a beacon for reaching out and doing more good things in the world? Sometimes these kinds of admonitions can sound trite, but they’re also important. Those sailors on their own must have done a lot to help and support each other and to work to ensure the safety of every person on the crew. Even as they gave thanks and enjoyed their good fortune, I hope they acknowledged their own efforts, their teamwork, and the relationships which nurtured them throughout their many months at sea. I like the poem’s imagery, and I like the spirit of individual agency that calls each of us to take an active role in building community — in turn enhancing the kind of golden light Mr. Marvell wants so much for each of us to enjoy. How do these ideas resonate with you, and in what one or two ways this week might you be moved to take some action putting into practice your interpretation? Live Inspired!
“Orange is the happiest color.”
I like the emphasis on the positive here, and for me, the quote is particularly meaningful because it comes from a singer who is associated with so much talent but who is also renowned for his heartfelt renditions of some very sad love songs. If such a man also put so much stock in happiness, then why not follow his lead. Carry on his illustrious tradition? How frequently do we do the opposite: highlight the negative, talk about the downside, or over-focus on the pieces of our lives we see as not working? For me, orange is indeed a happy color. It’s bright. It stands out. It highlights uniqueness, and it says, have a good time. What things make you happy? How can you make it a point to put more attention on them? In what one or two ways this week might you have some fun using “orange” —or for that matter some other color— to trigger your own focus on happiness? Hey, Frank Sinatra was pretty darned successful. We could do worse than to follow his lead. And as they say in the city of Syracuse — along with several other happy places across the country — in honor of their teams that have shown so much excellence in sports: Go Orange! How do these ideas resonate with you, and what one or two actions might you take this week to expand your focus on happiness? |
AuthorI am a Life Coach, a Color Wisdom Card Practitioner, and yes, even a Professor (political science, State University of New York at Albany). I use the Color Wisdom Cards to support clients in exploring priorities and taking concrete actions to stay on track with the goals they set. Because in my own life I have overcome a lot of self-doubt, I want to work with people towards more confidence and self-empowerment. You can do it! What is it you want to do? Categories
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