It’s good to hear from a fellow Yellow…so let’s talk. Before we do, though, I need to recap, because we have a few different things going on here. From what I understand:

• You want to let your Yellow “shine” more (as you should!), but you are afraid that if you allow that, your Yellow limitations might embarrass you, or get you arrested.Of course, I’m kidding about that last part… sort of. 😉
• Your family sees this side of you, but others don’t and you feel trapped by their expectations.
• You believe that bringing out your Yellow more, you will feel more satisfied with yourself and with life.

First of all, let me just acknowledge that I believe your thinking is right on here. I think that if you are more true to your Core Yellow personality that you will feel more satisfied with yourself and life. I also completely believe that you should proactively look for ways to let your Yellow shine through.

I know that if you do that, you will regain your zest for life and greatly improve your inner happiness. Further, I know that you can do it without being completely trapped by your limitations.

Here are some of my suggestions on what to do.

One of the first things I would look for ways to purposefully be more Yellow. That will break the ice a little so that it’s easier to be more spontaneously Yellow.

I would do this by first making a list of 10 things that you love to do—just for the joy of doing them. As a Yellow, you should know what I mean here. These are things that are not tied to an outcome or a responsibility or an expectation, etc. This is just for fun. So what do you like to do? Go to the beach? Dance? Go to the movies? Play the kazoo? Groom your pet rock? What are they for you?

Make your list of 10 things and then put them in order from your favorite of the ten down. Once you make this list, ask yourself when the last time you did these things was. After you recover from the wave of nausea that passes over you when you realize what you’ve given up, resolve to start doing these things again. Make them a priority. Make them a plan so that they actually happen.

As a Yellow, when you engage in activities that you love to do just for the sake of doing them, you reconnect with your “Fun” energy, and that alone can help you feel like you are coming out of a coma.

Next, you might start feeling like you want to start pulling out your Yellow more in your general relationships. I think you need to consider why it is that you feel comfortable being Yellow with your family, but not outside of the family. Usually it’s because you don’t feel as vulnerable around family. They already know you, they accept you, etc. People outside of family present more of a risk to Yellows, because we really worry about not being liked sometimes.

Sure, we put up a good front like we’re as cool as the other side of the pillow and that any kind of trouble or worry simply rolls off our back. But the truth is that Yellows are much more sensitive than they appear, and are often afraid to share of themselves openly, because they’re afraid of being hurt. Lots of Yellows are like that, so I hope you don’t feel alone in that regard.

I hope that you know that your true friends will not judge you too harshly, or hopefully not at all, as you bring out more of your hidden Yellow side. Those that do are probably not worth your time anyway.

However, it is wise to address your concern about the Yellow limitations. You should probably make a list of the limitations you feel come up—the ones that you specifically worry about being disruptive. Maybe you become obnoxious or turn into an interrupter, or maybe you say inappropriate things. I’m not sure what it is specifically for you, but I would make a list. Next to each Yellow limitation on that list, I would think through specific scenarios where you see yourself falling into that limiting behavior. Once those limitations are in your consciousness, a lot of times, you’ll begin anticipating when they will start to come out so that you can pick an alternate behavior instead.

At the end of each day, I would suggest you do some journaling. Start with your Yellow success moments and then move onto your Yellow limitations appearances. When you take the time to write out your progress and acknowledge your setbacks, it continues to train your mind to move in the direction you want to go.

So, Paige, yes, it will take a little bit of practice and perseverance, but I’m confident that you can definitely get to where you want to be if you implement these strategies.

Good luck, and I’ll be rooting for you!

Very best of living,

Jeremy Daniel
Training Director
Color Code International

Jeremy Daniel (Core Color: Yellow) has been working with the Color Code since 1998 in various capacities from training in the field personally with Dr. Taylor Hartman to designing customized corporate solutions and new training programs for various industries.  To ask about Jeremy’s training or speaking services, please email and inquiry to jeremy@colorcodetraining.com.