What do you think about when you think of the colour red?
For some it’s danger, risk, warning or anger. For others it is attention, power, passion, courage, confidence, excitement, energy or fast cars.
Red is one of my favourite colours and I feel especially good when I wear red clothing and my signature red lipstick.
But I believe red is not only a colour. Red is an attitude.
A few years ago I started developing The RED Effect, which you may have come across if you have been reading my newsletter, blogs or other social media posts. I have been incorporating the concept more and more into my work and this month I kicked off my 5 week online programme of The RED Effect with an amazing group of women. I’m so excited already by what the participants are experiencing as they explore how to be, what I call, ‘More RED’.
When I started speaking about The RED Effect, some people assumed it would be about wearing red or how the colour makes you feel, but that couldn’t be further from the truth (despite the fact that my branding is actually red!) In fact, RED is an acronym, a flexible acronym that enables each person to select words to focus on for their unique life or for a specific situation such as delivering a presentation, attending a job interview or showing up at a party (remember them?!!) For example, in one situation you might want to focus on being more Radiant, Enchanting and Delightful; in another situation more Real, Empathetic and Diplomatic.
The RED Effect programme helps you to reconnect with who you are at your core, and boldly express your true self with confidence and charisma. And ultimately it helps you realise that everything in life is a choice. Our attitude impacts everything, and we choose our attitude every moment of every day; we choose how we approach situations, and we choose how we react to situations. So, in order to be ‘more RED’, we need to develop self-awareness and self-confidence to make choices that are right for us and help us to live our best life.
So with that in mind, here are some thoughts on what being ‘more RED’ isn’t:
- Sitting back and taking a passive approach to life or letting life ‘happen to’ us
- Moaning or complaining when things happen that we don’t like (this doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge it and the feelings you felt, but it does mean that once you’ve allowed yourself the time you need to feel and heal, you review what you can change and take action)
- Being false; it’s exhausting to constantly try to be something you’re not
- Being pessimistic; life is so much better when you approach it with optimism
- Wearing something red simply to stand out; instead if red makes you feel great when you wear it, you will radiate an energy that ensures you stand out
- Doing so much for others that you don’t honour your own needs, leaving you nothing left for yourself or others
- Saying ‘yes’ to things without considering whether they are actually good for your soul
- Saying ‘no’ to things because they’re scary or out of your comfort zone
Because being ‘more RED’ is about being true to yourself, it will be different for everyone and unique to each individual. To give you an example, here are some thoughts about what it is to me:
- Staying connected to myself and what’s important
- Being clear on my values
- Not compromising when something goes against my values
- Being tuned into my intuition
- Connecting with nature every day and surrounding myself with beauty and art
- Speaking my truth even when it scares me
- Showing up as my best even when I don’t feel like it
- Working in my zone of genius
- Helping others to shine
- Living truthfully, fearlessly, creatively and abundantly
- Loving myself unconditionally
- Continual personal growth
- Doing more of the things that light me up
- Being true to myself and making choices that are aligned with my highest good
Some of these areas are still a work in progress for me but focusing on being ‘more RED’ every day has totally transformed my approach to life and helped me stay positive, grounded and focused, particularly throughout the difficulties of 2020.
So if RED definitely is an attitude, what is yours and how could you choose to be ‘more RED’ in your own life as well as when you next need to deliver a pitch or presentation?
If you are interested in The RED Effect transformational online programme, click here for more info and to join the wait list for the next intake.
Mel Sherwood is a spoken communication specialist and the author of 'The Authority Guide to Pitching Your Business - how to make an impact and be remembered... in under a minute!’ She combines 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer to help business professionals to communicate with confidence, credibility and charisma.
To find out more go to www.melsherwood.com or follow Mel on Twitter @MelSherwood_