What Color is Your Work?
Russ Henneberry | Feb 02, 2010 | Comments 8
One morning my son, Thomas, was sitting at the kitchen table eating his breakfast. He was 2 1/2 years old at the time.
He could tell that I was “frazzled.” I had a tough day with my business the previous day and was not looking forward to dealing with the mess.
Thomas said: “Are you ok Daddy?”
I said: “I’m ok but I have to get to work.”
He said “What color is it?”
I laughed at his question and quite honestly don’t remember what my reply was. But the question sort of stuck in my head as I walked downstairs to my home office to get busy for the day.
I remember thinking — “Blue. A dark and stormy blue. Almost gray. That’s what color my work is.”
Now, I am not the sort that believes in “auras” or any of that — not that there is anything wrong with it — it’s just not my bag. But there is something to Thomas’ question that has stuck with me over the last year and a half.
I have found myself driving home from a successful sales presentation thinking “My work is bright orange today!” or slogging through some grunt work thinking “My work is kind of a boring brown color today.”
And when my work is not the color that I want it to be, I spend time thinking about how I could change the color. Even if it is just a few shades. I will turn on some music or grab my laptop and head to the cafe for the day.
Occasionally, major changes are needed to dramatically change the color of your work. Perhaps you need to fire a customer, hire some help or seek a loan to gain some capital.
What about you? What color is your work? What do you do when you don’t like the color of your work?
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Filed Under: Marketing Articles
I think that the color reflection of your work depends on your mood or success in your business. Colors vary on day to day basis in particular as you experience different situations.
As you mentioned, bright orange – successful day, dark gray – tough barrier to cross.
I like it!
@Ivan — Thank you sir! It sounds like a silly question until you think about it for a while — when you assign a color to your work, it makes you feel like you can change it — the neat thing is that you can!
Gosh russ…you got me thinking with this one….
I really do link colors to my life, more in life moments than work moments as our work is only a small fragment of our lives… To me life moments are either, brilliant yellow(bright, happy sunny moments) lusciuous pink beautiful moments when there is peace and a smooth flow to the rhythm, and then there are the gray days where the sun is hiding and the energy flow has to be “fueled” with good music, good company, good coffee, that which inspires the warmth of the sunny day. We speak little of my least favorite of all; the “black hole”. We all fall in at times, but thank heavens that the rungs on the ladder which one climbs out by, are the colors of the rainbow…red, yellow, and blue,…and
Well yes, I think and live in color!
Thanks for the fun post!
Jennifer
@jennifer — ooh! love the rungs on the ladder analogy — can I use that?
I agree with your post.
People who live in the Northwest probably suffer depression more than people who live in Florida.
One of the treatments for depression is Light Therapy.
Music, positive conversations with friends, and good clients brighten those drab colors.
Thanks for the Post, Russ. It BRIGHTENED my day!
@Fred Miller — Thanks! I am starting to wonder if my son was on to something here —
Genius on the rise!
@Ivan — You are too kind.