What Color Are Your Thoughts?

Begin to observe your own thoughts and notice what color you are in most of the time.

I was driving down a wide, beautiful palm-tree-lined boulevard recently, maintaining a steady 45 mph and hitting every green light—sailing smoothly toward my destination. It reminded me of the old saying, "If you wait for all the lights to be green before you begin your journey, you will never start."

Where are you having trouble getting started? What if you had the power to set the timers so you could consistently sail through green? I began to realize that our thoughts are like traffic signals in our minds, allowing us to sail along smoothly, stop us in our tracks, or leave us idling in neutral. Let’s look at how noticing the color of our thoughts can help us move more smoothly down the road of life. Imagine that the constant dialogue you have running through your head was suddenly given a color. I’ve observed that people have three types of head chatter—like signals on the road—that either help them on their journey or get in the way. Begin to observe your own thoughts and notice what color you are in most of the time.

Green Thoughts

These are the positive, empowering thoughts that say "go"! They motivate us, push us forward, and encourage us to take risks, try new things, and step out of our comfort zones. They give us an optimistic view of ourselves, our lives, and our world. When your thoughts are green, you feel comfortable with yourself, which allows you to be "other"- oriented and contribute the most to those around you. The highest achievers are "Green Thinkers." They see a clear path ahead, and when an obstacle appears, they immediately look for ways to go over, around, or through it. They respond creatively in the moment, no matter the situation. Interestingly, green is the color of our heart chakra (an Eastern term for the body’s energy centers), and many "Green Thinkers" operate from a heart-based perspective, working from a frame of Love rather than Fear in all areas of their lives.

Red Thoughts

These thoughts can stop us in our tracks. They can keep us stuck in one place—angry, terrified, impatient, wanting to move but not knowing how. They hold a worst-case, doom-and-gloom perspective. Fear takes over, and creativity shrinks. Someone in Red Thinking might look at a clear path ahead and immediately see it as blocked with obstacles. Because we lack confidence during these thoughts, we can’t contribute and are pulled back into a "me" focus, where survival instincts take over. We all experience Red Thoughts at times, and sometimes we need them to balance our lives and guide us on our next steps. But too many people live in Red Thoughts most of the time, which prevents them from reaching their full potential and hinders their happiness. Red is the color of our base or root chakra and connects us to the earth. Survival instincts dominate our thinking here. When these become unbalanced, fear and anxiety can take control.

Yellow Thoughts

These are our neutral thoughts. As humans, we don’t stay in this state for long. These thoughts are non-judging and centering. They let us just be, sit, meditate, and be completely free of any story—green or red. They serve as a place to re-energize, re-center, or shift from red to green. Sometimes, these are called "observer" thoughts—where we can start to notice the chatter and dialogue always running in our minds. Yellow thoughts help us step back and see from a higher perspective. This is an important area to work toward because the more time you spend here, the better you will recognize when you’re in Red Thinking and choose to shift into Green Thinking. The color yellow relates to the center chakra, located in your solar plexus (gut), and is often a place to connect with your true self, your personal power.

Choosing The Color of Your Lens

Let’s revisit the traffic signal analogy. Imagine for a moment that you’re in charge of the timing system that controls the lights! You get to decide when they change from red to yellow to green. What if you could choose how to color your life? What combination of colors would you want at any given moment?

Start practicing these three simple steps to learn how to color your world the way you want!

• Begin paying attention to the color of your thoughts.

• Be mindful of the colors you are creating.

• Be mindful of the colors you are creating.

• Check in with yourself to see if it is really the best place to be right now.

• If it isn’t your preference, practice switching the lens—change from red to yellow, then from yellow to green.