Red Light, Green Light: Choosing Opportunities Over Impulses

Objective:
 Guide clients in distinguishing between thoughtful pursuit of new opportunities and acting on impulsive urges, using clear metaphors to support awareness and better decision-making.

I. Opening Metaphor & Check-In

Metaphor: “Traffic Signals on Life’s Road”

• Life presents moments where you must decide to stop, go, or slow down.

• Opportunities are green lights; impulses often feel like sudden urges to run a yellow or red light.

Prompt:

• “Recall a recent time you hit a ‘yellow light’—did you stop, speed up, or pause?”

• Share briefly or write reflections.

II. Discussion: Opportunity vs. Impulse

Metaphor: “GPS Directions vs. Spontaneous Turns”

• Opportunities are like GPS-guided routes planned ahead; impulses are unplanned turns that may lead off course.

Explore:

• How can you tell when you’re following your GPS vs. taking a spontaneous turn?

• What feelings or thoughts come with each choice?

III. Creative Activity

Metaphor: “Building Your Route”

• Imagine you’re mapping a trip toward your goals.

Activity:

• Draw or list your planned stops (opportunities) and impulsive detours you want to avoid.

• Discuss how to stay on track even when tempted to take shortcuts.

IV. Skill-Building: Using the Pause Button

Metaphor: “Pressing Pause Before Proceeding”

• Teach techniques to pause and evaluate before acting—like hitting pause on a video before making a move.
  
  

Tools:

• Deep breaths, counting to ten, asking key questions (“Is this move aligned with my goals or a quick reaction?”)

• Create a personal “pause reminder” to use when faced with impulses.

V. Wrap-Up & Reflection

Metaphor: “Your Journey, Your Choices”

• Reflect on how choosing green lights over red lights shapes your path forward.

Prompt:

• “What opportunity will you follow next? When will you press pause instead of speeding up?”

• Group shares one takeaway or strategy.

 (Handwritten note on page: “This was good but we should add a ‘Road Trip’ more theme.”)