Dear Carrie & Danielle,

Love, love, love the Style Statement! I bought copies for myself and two of my sisters, and we worked on some of the questions at our mastermind group Sister Summit.

Do you have any other suggestions on finding more about the spirit, look and feel of Colorful [my second Style Statement word]? The thesaurus wasn’t very helpful. I’m trying to get as much depth and clarity on “Colorful” as I have on “Composed.”

Signed,
Colorful Composed in Georgia

[scroll on to the bottom to read the the full version of her email. It's very inspiring!]

Dear Defining Your Creative Edge in Georgia,

Firstly, congratulations on creating your Style Statement – and with your sisters! As you know, we refer to your second Style Statement word as your “Creative Edge” word. It’s the 20% that makes all the difference. A little bit goes a long way.

Once you find your second word, here’s how you can develop it’s actual definition.

STEP 1: Look up the definitions and synonyms for your word and the root of your word, as well as the most relevant synonyms. i.e. Colorful, color, vivid, vibrant, dynamic…
STEP 2: Personify it. Create a draft. Think of your second word as a personality…as, well, you. Let loose on this. Be poetic and grand – you can rein it in when you polish the definition.

Let’s work with your second word, Colorful, for example…

The dictionary and thesaurus define colorful as:
1.    abounding in color: a colorful array.
2.    richly eventful or picturesque: a colorful historical period.
3.    presenting or suggesting vivid or striking scenes: a colorful narrative.
animated, bright, brilliant, dynamic, flashy, gay, glamorous, jazzy, loud, psychedelic, vivid
These bits from the definition of color are also relevant:
a. any distinctive color or combination or pattern of colors
b. nature, viewpoint, or attitude; character; personality

Now write about your word like you were writing about your highest, truest, most empowered self. Let me take a crack at it for you:

Colourful makes bold moves. She likes to shine, to stand out, to have an impact wherever she goes. She speaks loudly when she wants to because she simply must get her viewpoint across. Her attitude is what makes all the difference. Colourful paints pictures – stories, possibilities. She is full of energy when her heart is engaged, inspired to create vitality wherever she goes. Color creates life.

Sound like anyone you know?

Let’s keep going.

STEP 3: Think of any sayings or metaphors (both positive and negative) involving your word and weave that into your definition if it feels right. i.e., Colorful character. Color me beautiful. Color outside the lines. Drained of color. Color theory.
STEP 4: Look for further inspiration. Google your word and see what comes up. Look for book titles with your word in the title.

My search for color brought up these really fascinating layers on Wikipedia. And this very cool site, www.ColorMatters.com.

Step 5: For better or for worse, don’t bullshit yourself. Words that speak of your soul are serious business. Too much grandiosity will weigh down your definition. Too much humility will dim it’s beautiful power. Be clear. Be brave. Be loving.

I’d like to offer to you that through a spiritual lens, Colourful is an incredibly powerful word. It is the conveyor of light, the vehicle of frequency and insight. Chakras. Stained glass. The saffron robes of monks, the blessing of rainbows. Character.

I trust you wear it magnificently. Let us know how you define Colorful on your own terms.

Shine on,
Carrie & Danielle

Hi Carrie and Danielle,

Love, love, love the Style Statement! I bought copies for myself and two of my sisters, and we worked on some of the questions at our mastermind group Sister Summit.

We were all looking for help in different areas of our lives and get such great input, feedback, and perspective from each other, so we decided to get together for the weekend and work on solutions. The synergy and energy from having the minds of three smart, wonderful women together was amazing! We all had breakthroughs that helped us to move forward, see possibilities, and gain clarity. It was so cool!

I didn’t realize how much clarity comes from what doesn’t work until I started going through the exercises. It’s powerful to look at what works and what doesn’t to zero in on things. It was also clear that when we strayed from our true selves, our Style Statement, that’s when things didn’t work for us. We got sidetracked and stuck rather than moving forward.

After doing some of the exercises, I was a little surprised to see that Composed was the best fit. I didn’t realize how much the Zen part is my core. I was looking for the cool, contemporary, whimsical style that I thought I was and wanted to be, only to realize that I truly am more composed, and need the relaxation and peace to keep me in balance.

On the airplane back from the Sister Summit, I was giddy when I found my 20% word – colorful – and read the idea about coming up with a personal logo from your Style Statement. My business logo below is mine – composed colorful! No wonder it felt so right!

After looking at the things that don’t work or haven’t worked in my life, they’re almost always not composed. Now I understand why they bugged me! I couldn’t put my finger on it, but now I realize why they were so bothersome – they were in conflict with my core.

Do you have any other suggestions on finding more about the spirit, look and feel of colorful? The thesaurus wasn’t very helpful. I’m trying to get as much depth and clarity on colorful as I have on composed.

Thanks for your energy, insight, and sharing!

Composed and colorful,

Monica