Ever wondered why you struggle to understand some people, regardless of how many times they repeat themselves? Are you short tempered with a handful of friends, but naturally patient with others? This may be down to the differing behavioural types possessed by every human being. And there are four of them.

For the sake of this article, and also for the sake of mirroring Thomas Erikson’s work ‘Surrounded by Idiots’, they are going to categorised into four colours.

Red and Yellow will represent the classic ‘extroverts’ in your life. Blue and Green, you will learn, are more commonly ‘introverts’. Now, the key thing to remember is that you can be more than one colour, and this can only be a strength, not a weakness.

The purpose of this piece is to help you understand those around you better, and to guide you on your journey to being a much more accommodating listener. Essentially, this is actually a life hack- a cheat sheet if you will!

Reds- welcome, I may go as far as to say that you know you’re a red if you completely missed the introduction and skimmed straight down until you found the good stuff. You’re likely a strict timekeeper, enjoy competition, hate inactivity, and have high expectations for yourself.

Fantastic! You get things done and you’re known for your tenacity, though be careful of your sense of urgency- sometimes catching your breath will allow you time to reevaluate a situation or two.

Your ambition may intimidate others, but it also makes you easily admirable, so hold onto that, and make sure to read through the other colours too please. If you don’t, it’s likely that you’ll lose sight of the meaning to this cheat sheet, which is to understand others as well as yourself.

Yellows- Hello! This may be a little presumptuous- but I’m counting on you all to spread the word, the secret is out that understanding people can be easy, and no one will be as invested and enthusiastic about this discovery as you. The optimism you have for life is one of your most identifiable traits, and you inspire those around you to enjoy the simple things too. Maybe you haven’t noticed yet, but you are resourceful, talkative, persuasive and fast thinker.

Your new perspective on everything brings mundane tasks to life! A word of warning though (from my own experience), use your brain as well as your gut when making decisions- sometimes you’re inclined to forget about reasoning, and this can lead to common questions of ‘Why did you do that?’- make sure you know the answer!

Greens- I am glad you’re here. Thank you for the keeping the balance… where would we be without you? The most reasonable and kind of us all, you calm the storms, and warm us when we forget to be friendly. Your passivity is not a weakness, it makes you the glue of every group.

Employ the Greens! They are thoughtful, steady people that know when to take a step back- and remind others when it’s time to step up. Without a doubt the epitome of team player, surrounding yourself with Green behaviour (and learning from it yourself) will allow you to grow into a wonderful listener.

The Greens in my life consistently allow me space and time to come to my own conclusions, but are not afraid to guide me towards a much more fair conclusion once I have had thinking time. They will steady your world. Known for reliability, selflessness and consistency, be wary of your reactions to change- continue to move forward whenever you can, or else you’re likely to get stuck.

Blues- my realists. Unlike the majority of people, you’re probably reading this entire piece, and maybe you’re taking notes too.

Had there been any statistics in this article, rest assured that the blues would be fact checking. I’m intentionally leaving them out… If it wasn’t for Blues, chaos and untidiness would rule the world. Your orderly and thorough way of organising life is systematic and impressive. However, it is your powers of reflection that I find most inspiring.

Though you have a tendency for accuracy, even the most successful performances will be analysed by you afterwards, and your attention to detail only improves with time.

I am far from well equipped to advise a Blue of anything- but nevertheless, I must remind you of one thing. Embrace your mistakes. Perfectionism will destroy you before any number of inaccuracies could. Like Greens, if you do not force yourself to trudge on, you will never grow or achieve more.

So, which colour do you think that you embody most? It is likely that you are made up of a collection of the behavioural types, with two that you identify with most.

Each form of behaviour has, as you’ve seen, both its’ strengths and weaknesses. Now it is up to you to own those natural abilities, and respect those around you for theirs too. Good luck with your listening! Report back for more behavioural hacks soon…