Harvesting Happiness for Each Chromatype
Imagine each color completing a happiness “arc.” This arc would be for a different kind of fulfillment. You may be leaving joy on the table by not letting yourself “complete the arc” for the strategy of the Chromatype you are going for.
You can be powerful by using two or more Chromatype dynamics for various things, but one potential drawback for going “sideways” like this as you go through your life, is if you are accidentally cutting short the gratification arcs for the colors, and not completing the satisfaction arc for *any* Chromatype.
This is pretty easy to do when there is pressure from other people, or even pressure from other sides of yourself that want to make sense to a diversity of other people. However, the way to do this would be to complete *each* arc you come across to its fullness, rather than cutting off an arc when believing you should be following some other satisfaction structure than the one you started with when you had initiated your plans.
It can be useful to go “sideways” when you are stuck in a despair, based on your own dynamical system, and want tools from the other Chromatypes to have a different perspective.
But when it comes to joy, we do not want to leave dopamine on the table! Cutting short “joy arcs” is a good way not to let yourself sink into full joy, and end up with frustration!
I will describe each color and its satisfaction arcs below in detail.
A BLACK strategy arc would harvest joy from the fact of something going according to plan.
A BLUE strategy arc would harvest joy from having figured something out.
A WHITE strategy arc would harvest joy from nice social feelings.
A GREEN strategy arc would harvest joy from things being fine.
A RED strategy arc would harvest joy from experiencing something interesting.
And now, the details for this this works.
BLACK
Black is the one that gets the most joy of all the colors from “Having Done A Thing.”
Black would get the most joy of the colors from having “executed the strategy” or “done the thing” regardless of the feelings in the moment about it or immediate outcome. For example if Black was throwing a party for somebody, the measurements for Joy would be if the party went as expected, with happiness for the main stakeholders and participants, regardless of if Black spent the whole time during the party playing host and running around doing logistics. The Point would be the success of the logistics, and the intended effect being achieved.
Black would get the most joy from the fact of “having played their cards well.” Considering trade-offs for different outcomes would have already been pre-built into the strategy.
Notice, lean in, and harvest an extra 75% pulse of joy when:
You did something you said you would do
You did something hard
A “bad idea” didn’t have any long-lasting negative consequences
Somebody helped you when you did not expect them to
Someone allied with you on your goals
Resources were used wisely, and not wasted
Something got unexpectedly repurposed to be useful
You kept your focus and finished what you started
Notice, and reduce anxiety when:
Something goes not according to plan. You always knew this was a possibility, and took it on as a possibility. You already had the sadness “built-in.” You don’t need to feel it again a second time.
You’re having a bad time. You knew you might — you already signed off on the bad time. Don’t feel “extra bad” about having the bad time.
Someone seems sad. You already included, or are planning to include ways for them to be happy, and either you or them already made a strategy for handling the sadness. They are either taking those on-ramps or not. Instead of dwelling, discuss if they are actually sad or not and make plans around that, or know that you will discuss this soon.
BLUE
Blue is the one that gets the most joy of all the colors from “Having Figured Out A Thing.”
Blue can almost get euphorically happy from this, get drunk on solving a puzzle.
Notice, lean in, and harvest an extra 75% pulse of joy when:
You figured something out. Take time to relish in it, replay how you did it, admire the solution. This is your lifeblood and you might as well revel in it!
You’d forgotten about a system you’d put in long ago, that is doing what you want it to, effectively and smoothly. Stop and admire it, notice it going “brrrr” pleasantly in the background. Acknowledge and feel joy in the continual maintenance of what you had already built.
You had finished something and feel free, flexible, and fluid—regardless of how it went. It’s done with—checked off. Feel the breath of air inside you and around you.
You are working on a problem inherited from an ancestor. Enjoy that you are participating in this exciting lineage of frustration, problem-solving, and euphoria.
Notice, and reduce anxiety when:
You are frustrated that something is broken. Something is always broken. That is why fixing it or figuring out is so satisfying. This is already built into the equation—focus on the solving, the momentum, and the joy you will feel once you solve it.
You are spinning around with an unsolvable problem. Some problems are going to be unsolved forever, not because they are too big for you, but because they are part of the solution to something else. One problem in one area can be a solution in an area. Remember also that some problems that seem like they should be solvable may well be, but you do not know when. Remember that you are part of a tradition of iterative problem-solving. You had inherited many solutions before you were born and before you started solving problems. Similarly, somebody 100 years from now may inherit a problem and solve it.
WHITE
White is the one that harvests the most joy from “nice social feelings.” This is not a shallow statement! Many people have a lot of trouble here. This would be taking joy in a compliment, appreciating a present, noticing somebody texting you, somebody engaging or giving feedback on a project you are working on, somebody letting you know a boundary or when they cannot participate, or will be late.
Notice, lean in, and harvest an extra 75% pulse of joy when:
A friend helps you in an unexpected way.
Somebody takes the time to have a conversation with you.
Somebody comes to hang out.
Somebody is curious about you or what you’re doing.
Somebody pays you a compliment.
Notice, and reduce anxiety when:
A friend didn’t text you back. They are probably doing something meaningful to them and will text you back later. You probably have a friend who did text you back that you can harvest more dopamine from.
Somebody cancels plans. They are probably tired or busy and need something that the structure of your meeting would not provide, and had noticed that they do not want to waste your time and energy by showing up as not their full selves. You can choose whether you feel respected, or disrespected here!
GREEN
Green is the one that harvests the most joy from “things being fine.” This is not a shallow statement! Many people have a lot of trouble here. This would be taking pleasure in there being peace, and an absence of anxiety. It would not feel like “procrastination,” rather the dangers are genuinely not nearby, and you can take joy in the current stability.
Notice, lean in, and harvest an extra 75% pulse of joy when:
You have the spare time to do physical therapy, exercise, or stretch. Lean into the moments of stability that allow you to do self-maintenance.
You notice a visual you are enjoying; a sunset, a stream of light.
Your body feeling good in some way (even while other parts of your body might feel bad).
Somebody is relaxing with you, and keeping you company in a way that feels nice.
Notice, and reduce anxiety when:
Things feel chaotic. They will feel stable again soon enough, and this is part of a cycle. If you are often in chaos, notice “local points of stability” relative to the general chaotic arc.
Somebody else is relaxing in a way that isn’t super helpful to you or your nervous system. You can still bask in the joint stability that allows *both* of you to relax, in your different ways.
RED
Red is the one that gets the most joy out of “novelty for it's own sake. Red gets a lot of joy out of the experience of something, whether it is good or bad, and being square with the many parts of experience as truth of experience itself. For Red, it could be important to remember this when it is in the middle of something bad, that this was part of its bargain with the universe.
Notice, lean in, and harvest an extra 75% pulse of joy when:
You went out of your way to do something hard.
An impulsive or risky decision led to an uncommonly good result, or something unique that can’t ever be replicated.
You fought for something that mattered to you, and won.
You turned a fleeting opportunity into something sustainable.
Notice, and reduce anxiety when:
You feel bad. You probably need to recover from something. Don’t freak out and just go through your normal recovery procedures. This is part of the normal cycles of intense experience, and then recovery.
You catch yourself judging too much. One of the points was to act without fear—continue in the fearlessness and courage, rather than coming up with new ways to be afraid after the fact.
You feel weighed down with regrets—it probably means you are feeling pressure to not use the Red system. Stay with Red long enough to alchemize Red debts and do Red recovery, before trying on a different system or judging yourself through a different system.