Because our schedule is quite hectic this time of year, some days it can feel like all we do is work, eat and sleep, especially for my husband who carries most of the weight of our growing business. Couple that with unpredictable weather and it’s easy to lose perspective of life outside of our four walls. One of the things my husband enjoys is taking a walk in the fresh air.

Yesterday the weather was beautiful and sunny and then it looked ominous and then the sun shone through the cloud covered sky just before the clouds dropped buckets of rain on us.

Even during the dreary part of the weather the view is pretty spectacular.

But when the sun was bright, all of the colors around me seemed to be far more vivid.

The water was several shades of glistening blue and green.

Even the weeds were color-full.

At one point I felt a rush of wind go past my head; this beautiful wood pigeon perched himself in a tree near by unconcerned with my presence.

My colour filled walk made me think about how we as women color the world and bring a brightness that no other creature on earth brings. Creation was incomplete until woman was set in it’s midst. Then creation was complete and a special brightness existed.

However, there are times when we don’t show our true colors. Normally, we we discuss a person showing their true colors, we think of it in a negative way. The idiom came to be used because long ago ships were identified by the flag colors flown on the mast. Pirates used to use false colors to hide their true identity.

Times of stress, conflict, adversity, failure, or when we feel angry or fearful challenge us on our journey. Critical situations can put our moral impulses, courage and strength to the test.

Maya Angelo is attributed to have said that, “You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.”

How we respond, how we deal with, and how we resolve those situations are said to be the times that we show our true colors.

But today I am not talking about the negative aspect of who we are. I am referring to the richness and quality of the person we are that sometimes gets hidden out of fear.

Sometimes we reserve the truest, richest colors of our be-ing for 3 reasons:

1. People Pleasing. When we feel the need to be loved by “all” fear of disappointing someone keeps your true colors suppressed. As long as you continue to exist just to fulfill other people’s ideas of who you should be, you will never be the truest you.

2. Negativity. Negativity and self loathing change our perspective on life. Judging others and ourselves negatively increases our fear that others will see us the way we perceive things. Positivity is nourishing as is having a grateful perspective. Practice looking for the good in others, in situations and yourself. You will find that you are freer to show the world your true colors without fear.

3. Confronting ourselves. Confrontation is not easy at the best of times. But we need to confront ourselves. We need to ask ourselves the difficult questions concerning why we do the things we do so that we are keeping true to the big picture…our purpose. We all need to be accountable and I’ve found that holding myself accountable, although difficult, keeps me shining at my brightest.

Be who you are, be your genuine self.

Follow your own value system and common sense.

Listen to the advice of others, but make up your own mind.

Recognize, appreciate, and develop your unique talents.

Stand up for what you believe in and you will gain respect.

Know that being ‘different’ is a gift.

Understand that you are enriching others by being yourself.

No one can color the world quite like you can!

D