Weekly Tools and Tips to Improve Any Relationship
When I was four years old, my family moved to a new city and I found myself invited to a Valentine’s Day party attended by new, unfamiliar faces. While at the party, a timid, Blue/White me steadfastly stayed by my mother’s side, too shy to try to make new friends. As the story goes, a little girl, noticing my timidity and hearing my plight of being “the new kid,” marched up to my mom and I and stated confidently, “I’ll take care of her!”
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that child was a Red. And true to her bold declaration, she did take care of me and has continued to do so for the last 21 years. Yes, I am a Blue and my best friend is a Red. And though these two colors don’t always get along, we can learn a lot from each other. I admire a lot about my BFF and continue to learn from her strengths.
In this post, I’m going to share some things I admire about her as a Red and hopefully other Blues will take note. When we don’t get along with certain personality types, it can be hard to appreciate them for the value they do bring. Reds and Blues naturally clash, but they both have so much to offer and would be wise to learn to appreciate one another. It should be noted that I have a lot of White characteristics, so my friend’s Red complements that nicely. Regardless of whether our personalities have complemented one another or clashed, here are some things I admire about her (and other Reds) that hopefully will help you identify some great qualities in your Red friend(s):
One of the Red strengths is being action-oriented. This is so true about my friend — Aubree would not be Aubree without action. As kids, this was a lot of fun, because we were rarely bored. Like I mentioned, although I’m a core Blue, I’ve got a lot of White characteristics as well, so she helped drive me to action, which I needed. I remember during the Paralympics in 2002 we heard about a team from Romania who had lost their luggage. Rather than simply feeling bad for them and moving on, Aubree and I knocked door-to-door in our neighborhood collecting money for these athletes. We probably only scrounged up around $27 dollars, but we didn’t stop at that. We ended up having dinner with these athletes when they came to town and presenting our “generous” donation. I am positive I would have never had this — and other similar experiences — if not for my Red buddy.
Reds are known for leadership, and Aubree does not disappoint. I prefer to follow rather than lead, so it works great for our friendship. In my adult years, I’ve been given more opportunities to lead and I don’t know that I would have succeeded as well as I have if not for the example of the friend who was found at my side through my adolescence. If we were babysitting together, she was there to take charge during crises. When we worked on the stage crew for our junior high musical, she was made stage manager and went above and beyond the call. When we and two other friends formed an unofficial foursquare team at recess in elementary school, we were called “The Aubree Team.” The name was very fitting.
I believe confidence takes a person really far in life. I really admire Aubree’s confidence, because it leads her to becoming involved. Growing up she was involved in dance, piano lessons, cello lessons, soccer, tennis, Youth City Council and student government. Today she expertly mothers her two toddlers and successfully works four part-time jobs. I believe her success comes from her confidence not because she believes she’s the best but because she believes she can. I have a lot to learn from that! My perfectionistic nature could learn a thing or two about confidence so I can drop trying to be perfect and pick up just doing it!
While I’m one of those people who sees a 1,000-piece puzzle and thinks “no thanks,” Aubree is the type who sees it as a challenge to be conquered. And while I’m not sure she’s actually done a 1,000-piece puzzle, I’m positive she would finish no matter what it takes. Aubree is very determined, despite detrimental consequences. Several years ago, she ran a lengthy race on an injured foot, and instead of quitting when it was causing her a lot of pain, she pushed through and finished. I’m sure her determination has led to her many successes in life and although I can’t say I’d like to run a race on a hurt foot, I would like to try and finish more challenging projects.
Readers, does this sound like your Red friends? Whether we understand Reds or not, we sure are blessed to have them in our lives. If you’re anything like me, be sure to take some notes on the Reds in your life so you can try to emulate their wonderful qualities. If you personally feel intimidated by Reds or you are having a hard time fostering relationships with them, try focusing on their strong, positive qualities and how those qualities balance some of your own. Hopefully, by applying that, you can better connect with and appreciate the Reds surrounding you. Good luck!
Megan Christensen graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in communication. She previously worked as the head writer for KSL.com and is now the digital content manager for the Color Code. Her core color is Blue, but she is almost just as White.
