A golden can of tuna, a tangerine notebook, a pair of pink sneakers and a teal desk.
What do these four things have in common?
Each can be a motivator for personal change. The objects themselves aren't necessarily special. In fact, they are pretty ordinary. So, how can they motivate personal change? Color.
Shiny, right? Oooooh.
I've been trying to eat more protein recently. But there's something about the process of getting to the tuna salad that always feels like too much work so I usually skip it at the store. Getting an car opener, opening the can, mixing it up, rinsing the can, refrigerating the end result, etc. Argh, too many steps! {If you're reading this and think, "Wow, lazy," I completely hear you but stay with me for a minute.} A can of Bumblebee tuna with a shiny golden label caught my eye last week. It wasn't a new brand and likely wouldn't even taste different but it's color made it stand out. I grabbed it and decided to try. Half-expecting the can to contain some treasure other than tuna, I opened it when I got home. Of course there was nothing but tuna inside but somehow it tasted delicious. I've been steadily making tuna since.
My tangerine Moleskin notebook motivates me to use it for lists, add to-do's, jot down quotes I like, future ideas, anything, everything. Exactly as it should. A client who has never been a fan of exercise bought a luscious pair of hot pink sneakers and has been at the gym ever since. A teal desk at TROSA caught my eye a few weeks ago. It wasn't even in good shape but it was so beautiful that I knew I would sit at it to write if only I had it.
Colors, like scent, can elicit strong personal feelings for us. It can motivate, inspire, embolden, excite, pique our curiosity or...shut it down. And of course color doesn't only bring out the best in you; it can also work the opposite way. The dark red boxes of truffles that Whole Foods stacks in tempting towers around the holidays, for example, can rocket us to a sugar high for an entire afternoon. That's unhealthy personal change. But in and of itself, color can be a very powerful tool to motivate positive personal change.
In what area of your life do you need extra motivation? Think for a moment. Then imagine what color-related change might get you moving. Stuck? Email me (outsidethemombox AT gmail DOT com), leave a comment below or on my Facebook page if you need some ideas. Thanks for reading.