By Last night I spent an evening (with 180+ other women!) at my church discussing the book, I said this, you heard that.
I gained a nugget or two that I hope to implement (one of which I’ll share here). In general, I take books and workshops like this with a grain of salt. I have a very strong aversion to stereotyping/pigeonholing. I simply don’t think people are that cleanly defined. As I told my sister on the drive home, I liken this to politics. While you have extremists on each side, most of us land squarely in the middle. Or in this example, you have some folks who are over the top red or over the top blue, but must of us are purply-brown (a mish mosh of colors).
The book tries to separate temperament from personality. I don’t have the time or energy to draw those lines in the land. I am who I am – I love being around people and chatting up a storm. I also love quiet time. Lately I’ve had too much quiet time, with Mavis gone and no kids and being divorced, which flavors my temperament and/or personality.
There is an assessment you can take that will define you based on your responses. The first time I took the assessment I landed as yellow/blue. This time my answers pushed me to blue/red. My sister is convinced I’m a red. I have a friend who is equally convinced that I’m a green.
The reality is that I’ve spent my career in service and consulting, so I easily bounce from color to color based on the situation and the person I’m dealing with. This theory goes against the philosophy of the book, but I am allowed to have my opinions on my blog, so there.
My big takeaway or A-ha occurred early on in the presentation when the speaker posted this scripture.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29
I always interpreted this as ‘don’t talk bad about others’ or ‘don’t put others down’. She suggested that the person you talk to most is yourself. And that, my friend, hit me in the gut.
I am incredibly hard on myself. I beat myself up about so many things. I do speak very unwholesomely to myself.
So today I am going to try to build me up instead of tear me down. I suggest you do the same.
And feel free to let me know what color you think I am.