The Red Flags Theory

Years ago I was going to coauthor a book called The Red Flags Theory.

It’s the theory that as you go through life, there are signs to go forward, pause, or even stop and retreat.

They are a little like center lane bumps on the highway telling you to get back into your lane.

I call them green, yellow and red flags.

The key is to pay attention to the clues, or flags, and act on them.

When you do, life seems to flow at a smooth rate. When you don’t, you hit jolting bumps, scary rapids and/or unforgiving walls.

I was telling some friends about my red flags theory over lunch. One of them had gotten himself into a tangled business relationship. As I explained that before he got into the tangle there were probably yellow flags to alert him of problems ahead, he asked for an example.

I remembered that decades ago I took on a client that ended up being a nightmare. I finally had to fire him, return his money, and wish him well. It was a very unpleasant experience.

When I reflected on why I signed on with him in the first place, I realized that there were yellow flags on the field from the first day I met him but I didn’t pay full attention to them.

Those yellow flags were things like an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach; noticing an odd statement or odd behavior; feeling a tiny shudder when he said something about someone else that seemed negative or inappropriate.

I didn’t pay close attention to those yellow flags because this client was paying me a great deal of money, and I needed it (or thought I did) at the time.

So I let the promise of big money help me ignore or rationalize the warning flags.

But yellow flags turn into red flags if you don’t do something about them. Ultimately I had to end my relationship with that client.

As I told this story to my friends, they nodded. They realized there were hints, clues and “flags” all along the way, in every relationship, coming in every moment.

The point is to awaken, be responsible, and act on them.

A yellow flag doesn’t mean stop; it means explore the caution. If you can’t resolve it or shake it, you might have to get out of that game.

Here’s another example:

Donny Deutsch recently interviewed Donald Trump on his CNBC show, The Big Idea. In it The Donald said he once got the flu when he was about to close a deal to buy a newspaper.

Donald explained that he never gets sick, but he got terribly sick on the day of the deal. He took it as a sign not to go through with it.

As it turned out, it was the right decision. Being a newspaper publisher is not The Donald; being a real estate tycoon is.

The flu was a red flag to stop.

I have no idea if Donald Trump received yellow flags before the day of the deal, but I bet he did. You don’t get a red flag unless you’ve ignored all the yellow ones.

And that’s the point: Be alert to the yellow flags.

Of course, green flags are the good signs that say this is the way to go. But if you don’t act, you may get yellow and then red flags on those deals, as well.

Often I won’t get a green flag (or any flag) until after I’ve taken action.

This is a little like being at a football game. There’s no reason to toss a flag on the field before the game begins. But once it starts, look for the flags.

Same in life. I’ve often begun something because it felt right. After I took action, the game is afoot. From that point on I have to pay attention, and act, on all signs.

Also, as new information becomes available and relationships grow, new flags may also appear. Life isn’t static. The game isn’t over. This is why you have to stay awake in every moment.

As I’ve said here, there, and even on Larry King’s TV show, the great goal of life is to awaken.

Flags help you tune in to this moment; and this moment is all there is.

Here’s one final example:

Since I’m travelling more these days, I decided to get a laptop connect card so I could use my laptop virtually anywhere to connect to the Internet.

I went to my current phone service provider but he couldn’t determine what card I needed for my particular laptop.

Yellow flag.

I told him I would return with my laptop in hand so he could look at it and give me the right connect card.

I returned, he took one look, and said he didn’t have the card I needed, even though my card is a standard one and should be in stock.

Yellow flag.

He went on to say I would have to go to a larger city, probably Austin or San Antonio, to get the card I wanted. Since I had no plans to go to either city, and needed the card today for a trip I’m making tomorrow, I passed on his suggestion.

Note that these yellow flags don’t mean I shouldn’t get a laptop connect card; they simply mean (so far) not to get one with my current phone service provider.

I sat in the car and made a few phone calls to local stores of competing phone service providers, seeing who had the card I needed. After three calls (notice I’m taking action) I found a friendly woman who assured me she had the card in stock.

Green flag.

She told me her name is Chelsea, which is the name of one of our cats.

Green flag.

I went over to her store, went inside, and was greeted by the friendliest staff.

Green flag.

No waiting. No hassles. No deposit, or card fees, or much else.

Green flags.

And while I was there, one of my favorite waitresses of all time breezed into the store, saw me, and rushed over to give me a hug.

Green flag.

I now have the Internet connect card I need and I feel great about the experience.

Mission accomplished.

I still don’t know if I’ll ever write a book about my red flags theory*, but I’m hoping this blog post helps you remember that there are clues in every moment telling you if you’re on course.

Pay attention.

And act.

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS – Usually fear stops you from paying attention to the flags. My bestselling DVD, created with Mark Ryan, on becoming fear-less, just might be the ticket for you. It’s one of our three subliminal manifestation DVDs described at www.subliminalmanifestation.com Take a look. There’s nothing to fear, you know.   

* Guess I’m waiting for a green flag.

Note to me: Waiting is not how a game begins.

Note to you: If you’d like to see this concept developed into a book, leave a comment (or just “Digg” this post) and tell me so. Thank you.

Tagged as: Books