Life in Living Color

If you’re like most people seldom does life kick on all cylinders all the time. You might just chalk it up “that’s the way life goes.” But what if there was a planned, intentional, systematic approach to a more balanced life? What if this plan was easy to understand and incorporate into your life? The Spectrum Life System (SLS) is designed to be just that. As you unfold the ideas behind SLS, you will begin to believe that a more balanced, colorful and exciting life is possible.

Instead of trying to fix your “problem” in life, each day you will work on several key areas of our life at the same time. Confused? Don’t be. To help us understand and remember it, we will be applying one of the few things I remembered from school. Does anyone remember ROY G. BIV? Can you recall what ROY G. BIV stands for?

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet = the colors of the rainbow. In relationship to the Spectrum Life System, these letter stand for the 7 keys of the balanced life.

R = RELATIONAL (Red)

Nobody can have a happy life, living in a vacuum. Like it or not, much of who we are is wrapped up in our relationships. People who relate well to others in the world are most likely happier people. On the other hand, those who have a hard time getting along with others are more isolated and lonely. The key relationships can be found in families of our past (all those people who impacted our lives as we grew up and became adults), present families and intimate relationships (spouse, significant other, kids, in-laws, others), coworkers and friends.

O = OTHERS (Orange)

It is important to get along with the people you know. Usually not getting along with them can be emotionally draining. But there is also another group of people who we all interact with on a regular basis. It’s “them." It’s those millions of people we all interact with every day. We don’t know their names, where they live, what they had for supper last night, or what the heck they’re thinking. But God did a really interesting thing. He put us all together to get along, regardless if we know each other, or ever will know each other.

You run into “them” at the supermarket when they crash their cart into your ankles. You meet them on the highway as they cut you off. You glance over at them when you are stopped at a light and wonder what they must be thinking. I know “they” are a huge group, because this group is always cited in studies. Haven’t you ever heard anyone say, “You know what they say…?” That must be the people others are referring to.

Some of us might think we don’t need to be concerned with who “they” are. But I would challenge that thinking. If all we concern ourselves with is “me, myself and I”, then we are missing a chance to get to know and be fed by and help some really terrific, unique people. People report that by looking for ways to significantly connect with humanity, it brings a new purpose to their own lives.

Y = YIPPEE! (Yellow)

Many people have the motto “I just want to have fun.” But others admit, “The most fun I have is deciding whether to choose regular spaghetti or angel hair.” One of the keys to a more balanced life is the having the ability to drop the things that bind you up once in awhile and yell, “Yippee!!!” (I give permission to county-western fans to yell, Yee-Haw!!!).

I bet we all know people who haven’t really smiled or laughed in years. For some people excitement is polishing their shoes and giving the dog a bath on a Saturday night. For others excitement is going out on a limb and putting relish on their hamburger instead of just catsup and mustard. Then declaring, “Wow, this is living!” Then there are others who are adrenaline junkies. They need excitement all the time. They are always laughing, playing around, and living on the edge. Sometimes they have a hard time focusing on more mundane, serious things.

So each of us has to find a way to relax, loosen up, and enjoy some of the neat things God has given us without feeling guilty. Whether it’s going on a picnic, fishing, biking, traveling, going for walks, playing a sport, cruising on a motorcycle, singing or playing in a band or choir, taking in a craft show, or whistling a merry tune while working in the yard, we need to do things that are fun. This means different things to different people. If you were to honestly ask, “What do I do that is really a lot of fun and brings me great joy and excitement?” what would it be? If I was to interview people who know you and asked where you fell on the fun meter, what would they say?

G = GOD/Spiritual (Green)

It has been proven that nearly every culture has some belief or concept of a “Higher Being.” It would seem that no matter where we are from, connecting to that ‘Being” would add value and purpose to life. For people of faith, there is a need to connect, be in worship, and get to know more about their God. It provides a center or core for many people.

One study shows that those who have faith live longer. Other studies have proven that those who really connect to God in prayer recover quicker from illness and surgery. So there must be something to this.

Seeking to know and follow God becomes a spiritual journey. It’s woven into the fabric of millions of people as they live life. Whether holding to the Jewish teachings and traditions or following Jesus Christ, there is purpose, meaning and balance derived from seeking to follow God’s will for our lives.

Notice I didn’t say that a great deal was derived from believing in God, but instead there is balance and purpose found in learning about and following God on a daily basis. I am talking much more here about faith than religion. Religion has its place, but the deep, abiding love we have from knowing a God who loves us is something much richer.

B = BODY (Blue)

Our body is a temple. Don’t you just love hearing those words? The last time I took a look in a full-length mirror, I felt as if this temple of mine needed a government grant for full restoration. Everywhere we turn we are reminded that our health is critical to all other aspects of life. If the old bod is not cutting the mustard (did you like the food analogy?) much of the rest of our life is the pits (more food analogies).

When we cut through all the programs, we recognize the two primary areas to achieve optimum health are good nutrition and exercise. We’ve all heard of the see-food diet. "I see the food and I eat it." And studies show the majority of us don’t exercise enough to take care of the amount of food we consume. Now approaching 50 years old, I feel my best years are behind me. The problem is I can’t get turned far enough around enough to see them. And then I realize that if I feel this way for the next 15-20 years before I even get to retirement, I‘m going to be miserable. So, as we look at the big picture (some of us have bigger pictures than other’s), health and nutrition should be an area we all desire to improve.

I = INTELLECTUAL/Educational (Indigo)

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the older we get, the less we use our brain. Either that, or we need to work twice as hard to get it to function. How many of us have ever walked into a room only to forget what they came there for. How many kids come into a room and forget what they came for? No, it’s an adult thing. Many of us have collected so many senior moments we should be able to trade them in for a prize or something. Maybe it’s all because we feel we received all the knowledge we needed to make it in life before the age of 25. After that, many of us think we can coast the rest of the way. But stimulating the brain is an important component to a balanced, healthy life.

Stimulating the brain means more than standing in a check-out line reading about a 100-year old grandmother who gave birth to quintuplets after being abducted by aliens. It involves reading, thinking, processing, stretching and growing. I recently heard of an 83-year old man who began his post-graduate studies while he was in his twenties and sixty years later got his Master’s degree. Now that’s a slow learner. But he never quite learning.

To learn is to grow. There are thousands of books, courses, community and college classes and subjects that are available to stimulate the brain. To learn and grow means we will be able to communicate intelligently on current subjects. It will move us from an extremely dull person to someone who has something to say.

V =VOCATIONAL/Financial

The final component to a balanced, fulfilled, colorful life has to do with your vocation. Many people can point to great aspects of their lives, yet are unfulfilled or unchallenged by their job. Or they feel they aren’t being compensated at the level they think they should. Other people are making a great living and yet feel the job is consuming them. Regardless, at the end of the day, some people find it difficult to shift gears and be optimistic. Their dissatisfaction with their job keeps the other aspects of their life out of balance.

To move ahead there are several aspects that should be considered. First, you need to ask yourself, is my job/vocation bringing me a real sense of satisfaction? Can I see myself in this line of work 5, 10, 20 years from now? Next, even if I like my job, does it have the potential to pay the bills and establish an adequate (not necessarily extravagant) lifestyle? Finally, even if this is a good job and meets my needs financially, I need to ask, “Is it right for me and my family?”

If we answer no to these questions, we may need to consider taking action or forming a plan that will lead you toward a more balanced vocational/financial setting. I would not recommend placing yourself or your family at risk by quitting a job with nothing more than aspirations. You need to move cautiously and with a great deal of prior discussion with those people you trust.

It may be that you will be lead to a job that pays less, yet is much more satisfying. By doing so, you may get to spend more time with the family or strengthening other aspects of the Spectrum Life System. Maybe through planning and discernment a new door will be opened that will be fulfilling, challenging and financially rewarding. You deserve a good life. By setting goals and moving ahead toward a positive, more colorful and balanced life, you will see how fun life can be. Even when bad things happen, or you have a setback, if you are fairly balanced, you will rebound quicker, as your emotional energy won’t all be in the same basket.

A workbook that includes more about the Spectrum Life System, a scoring sheet and strategies to improve is available for those who want more. I believe we were created to experience a joy-filled, exciting, balanced life. Maybe you find yourself a little or way off track. But with the Spectrum Life System you can help you recover the balance needed for a colorful, joyful life. Enjoy!