Sight is such an important sense. It’s the main way to scan for danger and keep yourself safe in this world. As a result, your visual sense is also a very powerful path to calming yourself down (no danger) and making yourself happy!
Fact: Approximately 65 percent of the population is visual learned.
Fact: 40 percent of all nerve fibers connected to the brain are linked to the retina.
Fact: The brain processes visual information, meaning pictures, 60,000 times faster than text.
I think this is why women are attracted to social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, which are both visual and often pretty. I’ll just say it—woman like pretty things. I also believe this is why shopping in pretty stores is so appealing to the female brain.
Notice if what you are looking at right now makes you feel good, or feel bad, stresses you out, or is simply uninspiring.
What do you like to look at? Is it scenes of nature? A view out your window? The ocean? Why not try to capture what makes you happy in your home. You can do this with pictures, furniture, and textures.
COLOR
Color is a potent visual input. I, CrisMarie, love color—bright, bold, saturated colors. I’ll admit, I didn’t always know I liked color. My houses were painted white or taupe. My furniture, towels, bedding was all bland and a color more in the pastel family. Heck, I even dressed blandly. When I worked for Arthur Andersen my suits were greys or black. It was easy, efficient. They didn’t show the dirt.
My friend Robin introduced me to color when I was in my 40’s. I jumped in with both feet. First, I went crazy with painting our walls – we have different rooms painted with bright colors. The office is cherry red. Our bedroom is sunflower yellow. My private coaching office is new leaf green. The guest bedroom is tangerine orange. The kitchen is a brick red.
One year, I went crazy at Pottery Barn when they were featuring bright colors. I have soooo many colorful rugs, quilts, duvet covers, pillow cases, and towels in the jewel tones and patterns. Everywhere I look my home is awash of bright colors.
Finally, my friend Robin suggested I try wearing more colorful outfits. I thought, “You’re crazy. It’s unprofessional. I’d look garish.” Well, I got over it. I found beautiful, tasteful, bold, colorful dresses and blazers. I’m rocking the color. Don’t get me wrong. I still like black, but I love cherry red, royal blue, deep purple, emerald green, and deep orange mixed with, yes, fuchsia pink -- yummy!
Your Space
How about your space? Take a look around, notice if you like what you see. Do you appreciate how you’ve arranged your space? Is there clutter in your home, in your car, in your purse? Maybe you see:
Your bookcase bulging with old books, used journals, knickknacks, unopened mail
Your closet floor piled with clothes that no longer fit but you can’t let go of them
Your car’s dash is filled with crusty change, a melted lipstick, a bunch of used tissues
Your wallet stuffed with old receipts, expired punch cards, a used toothpick
Did you know that when you, as a women, take the time to organize your space – bedroom, desk, car, purse, underwear drawer, it lowers your cortisol (a major stress hormone)?
Your Challenge
Challenge: Look around your space.
Do you like what you see?
Are the colors pleasing?
Is the room cluttered?
Arranged the way you like it?
Notice how you feel in your body when you take in your spaces.
Now, set a timer for as little as 5, 15, or 30 minutes. Make your space the way you want it. Organize it, rearrange it, pump it up with pretty pictures, objects or colors you love.
Then, post a BEFORE and AFTER picture and a comment on our Facebook page and/or our Instagram. Tell us how you feel now?
CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke
Coaches, Business Consultants, Speakers and Authors of The Beauty of Conflict
CrisMarie and Susan work leaders and teams, couples in business, and professional women.
They help turnaround dysfunctional teams into high performing, cohesive teams who trust each other, deal with differences directly, and have clarity and alignment on their business strategy so they create great results.
Check out their website: www.thriveinc.com. Connect with CrisMarie and Susan on LinkedIn. Watch their TEDx Talk: Conflict – Use It, Don’t Defuse It! Find your copy of The Beauty of Conflict: Harnessing Your Team's Competitive Advantage here.