Black & White for a Colourful Life
Black and white
adjective
(of a situation or debate) involving clearly defined opposing principles or issues.
"it was all grey areas; no black-and-white certainties"
Colourful Life
A "colourful life" is a metaphor for a life that is rich, full, and full of a variety of experiences, interests, and relationships. It can also suggest a life that is lived with authenticity, purpose, compassion, and peace.
What I mean by black, and white is an absolute law, order, strategy, rule, regulations, boundaries or the north or south pole on a compass. Something of truth that we can reference as being correct. Like a recipe for making cake, if you stick to the instructions and follow them methodically, you'll achieve the outcome. The black and white is the recipe, ingredients, method, equipment you follow from buying the ingredient to washing up, clearing away and presenting your baking goods. Then sitting down on a Sunday afternoon with a nice cup of tea, feet up by the fire sharing and eating the said cake with loved ones is the colourful life or outcome.
It's about keeping clean to the work behind the goals. We can easily dilute situations into a greyness with emotions and find our self-negotiating with narratives like:
But I don't feel like it,
But I don't want to,
But I would rather …….
My very first coach had a saying "what does wanting to do, have to do with it?" Pete Cohen
For a gardener to grow colourful flowers they may use a trellis to supports it, they need to be watered, aligned with sunlight and in an environment with soil that serves it. The conditions are the black and white, what grows and what we can enjoy is the beauty or fruit that this rewards us with.
I help client unpack a framework and strategy behind their goals, a map with the steps to move you until your enjoying and living out the colourful life you dreamed of. This could be a simple step to smiling again or many that move you towards playing music, writing a book or building a house. Whatever your dreams are, look deeper into the black and white in the strategy that lies behind them. Remember to keep it simple, and keep up with taking those steps towards it, over, and over again.
You don't want to go to the gym, you want to feel and look better.
You don't want to work the weekend, you want to get on top of things, money or time.
You don't want to invest in a Coach, you want freedom in health, wealth or happiness.
You don't want a new employee; you want the time and leverage they will give.
Acting doesn’t need to be something you want or feel like. It just must be something you do, happy, sad, motivated or not motivated.
Good luck, and remember if you don't have a dream, you can’t have a dream come true.
Quote
"Good order is the foundation of all greath things".
Edmund Burke
Questions to help you think differently:
Think of a goal you have
- Why do you want it?
- What would you enjoy if you achieved it?
- Who would benefit?
- What actions are in the black and white element required to move you forward.
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