Green Lights

One of the most powerful things my mom said to me was, ‘You write your own life script’. When I finally was ready to listen, when I was ready to hear it, the world opened up to me.

In Matthew McConaughey’s book, Greenlights, he writes that his life story is about catching more Yes's in a world of No's, and his ability to recognize when a no might actually be a yes.

“This is a book about catching green lights

and realizing that the yellows and reds

eventually turn green.”

What would change for you if you had 100% belief that your yellow and red lights in life would turn green?

Green lights. We want more of them.

To catch more green lights, start by identifying the green lights you've already created and recognize what makes them green for you.

What if those green lights, if you doubled-down on them, could become a flywheel to more green lights? Sometimes focusing on what's already working is what can make the biggest impact.

Now, identify where your red lights are. Ask yourself what would need to happen to change course to hit fewer of them?

What if your red lights were actually one decision from becoming a green light for you?

What if your red lights were simply dated thinking or an old belief that is no longer true or relevant? Create your future from today not from the past.

We all have yellow lights in our life. Consider that what you see as a caution signal might be simply fear in disguise. Caution out of a fear of failure is a dream killer. Failure is a teacher. Don’t let it stop you.

Fear of the unknown is often what prevents us from writing our own life script with more green lights. Fear is often a mask for what we desire most. How quickly do you default to, no? That quick response to an unknown might just be your next green light.

Yellow lights can oftentimes be found around what you procrastinate or avoid. What you procrastinate, if prioritized, might be that course change to successive green lights.

Martha Stewart was given a red light when Time Inc., who owned her Martha Stewart Living brand at the time, said no to expanding the magazine brand into products and TV. This red light didn’t stop her, but drove her to create a new future for her and her brand. She created a multi-year pre-paid partnership with K-Mart to fund the purchase of her brand back from Time. Inc. Red lights only stop you for as long as you allow it.

Steve Job’s yellow light came when he dropped out of Reed college just a semester in as he felt his focus was better spent elsewhere. His green light came when he began dropping into a calligraphy class the following semester which became the inspiration for the landmark digital typefaces of the Macintosh computer that can now be found on most all branded computers.

A more personal example is my diagnosis of cancer on April Fool’s Day 2019, three years ago this week. It was a red light for me that turned to green as I slowed down to do the work to decide what I wanted most for my life. It was time to write a new life’s script.

Green lights are not automatic.

No one is entitled to green lights.

Green light making is a practice that requires consistency, discipline and reflection.

Green lights come to those who do the work. To those who put in the time and effort supported by the thoughts and feelings of who you are, who you want to become and what you want to create.

Think of the impact you could have with 100% belief in knowing that today's yellow and red lights were waiting for you to turn them green.