{"id":3289,"date":"2012-08-06T12:01:52","date_gmt":"2012-08-06T16:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/?p=3289"},"modified":"2012-06-16T23:00:46","modified_gmt":"2012-06-17T03:00:46","slug":"do-you-see-life-in-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2012\/08\/do-you-see-life-in-color.html","title":{"rendered":"Do You See Life in Color?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Years ago I was dating Brian, a guy who I liked a lot, but, I knew he wasn\u2019t right for me. He treated me well, was like my best friend, and I trusted him completely. Sounds perfect? Some friends didn\u2019t understand why I knew it wouldn\u2019t, or really couldn\u2019t, be a permanent relationship. While all of the attributes I mentioned are things I want in a partner, he was missing something that I couldn\u2019t live without\u2014color in his life!<\/p>\n

Everything in his life was in black and white. He just saw the surface of everything. Everything was good or bad. He either loved something or didn\u2019t like it at all. The main problem was he didn\u2019t scratch the surface of what he saw. He missed all the details and just took in the main picture. I remember when I talked about these feelings with a friend, she immediately knew what I meant and pointed to a painting on her wall.<\/p>\n

She asked me to tell her what I saw in it. I saw the beach, and boats of different colors, some with sails, some rowboats, some speeding with a water skier on the back. I saw the suds of the waves, the different shades of the sand as it got further from the water. I saw many more details. Had I shown that to Brian, he\u2019d have said he saw a scene by the water. Period. If I asked what was in the water, he\u2019d reply, \u201cboats.\u201d He saw no distinctions or colors. Just a water scene with boats.<\/p>\n

Brian had no passion for life. He didn\u2019t take in enough to feel appreciation for life\u2019s little nuances. That reflected his overall lack of excitement over things he saw and did. If I bought good coffee and asked how he liked it, he\u2019d reply, \u201cit\u2019s coffee.\u201d He couldn\u2019t notice the special flavor it had. Meanwhile I take in everything. It adds more flavor to life and also more enjoyment. If I asked how I looked when I had a new outfit he’d say I always looked good to him. Brian\u2019s life was flat. Flat soda was still just soda in his eyes. I wanted the bubbles!<\/p>\n

We all look at things around us. But those of us lucky ones also take in the details of what we look at. We see the 3-D part of life, not just the flat picture. That stirs passion, which makes life more worth living. If you just glimpse what\u2019s around you because you\u2019re always in a rush or you\u2019re just someone who sees the world in black and white, try adding some color to your world. I had a friend who\u2019d point out different kinds of doorknobs on brownstone when we\u2019d be walking through the city. I\u2019d never noticed how each one was unique. I still notice them now! Brian would just see a door.<\/p>\n

He may have just seen a painting of the seaside but I saw a whole story. We\u2019re still friends but I want to share my life with someone who can look at and appreciate the details of life with me. Then we can share what each of us notices. Taking in the details of your view of life is fun. And it gives your surroundings more meaning. If you want to feel more passionate about your life, start by looking beyond the surface of what you see and take in the colors, texture, etc., including people. You can color your world by opening your eyes and paying attention to what you see.
\n***************<\/p>\n

Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Challenge<\/strong><\/a>–a pledge to do something loving for yourself for the next 31 days–and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways<\/a><\/strong> for free at http:\/\/howdoiloveme.com<\/a><\/strong>. Read my 31 Days of Self-Love Posts from 2012 HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Please leave comments under my posts so we can stay connected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Years ago I was dating Brian, a guy who I liked a lot, but, I knew he wasn\u2019t right for me. He treated me well, was like my best friend, and I trusted him completely. Sounds perfect? Some friends didn\u2019t understand why I knew it wouldn\u2019t, or really couldn\u2019t, be a permanent relationship. While all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[422,88],"class_list":["post-3289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-happiness","category-self-empowerment-confidence","tag-color-your-world","tag-self-empowerment"],"yoast_head":"\nDo You See Life in Color? - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2012\/08\/do-you-see-life-in-color.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do You See Life in Color? - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Years ago I was dating Brian, a guy who I liked a lot, but, I knew he wasn\u2019t right for me. 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Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. 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