I’m going to start by saying, chill out. The book is not as interesting as you think it is.

What is it about ??

Surrounded by idiots is a self-help book written by Thomas Erikson, a Sweden behavioural expert. He was inspired to write this book after a meeting with a successful entrepreneur went South. The entrepreneur believed that he was surrounded by idiots.

In this book Thomas uses the DISA (Dominant, Inspirational, Submissive & Analytical) system to categorize humans.

The personality types are represented by four colours : Red, Yellow, Green and Blue.

Allow me to stretch the surface on each of the colours.

🔴 RED :

Reds are your typical alpha females and males. They are dynamic and driven individuals. They are bold, ambitious, driven but also potentially hot-tempered, rash or dominant. They like to assume leadership positions.

Characteristics of Reds :

• Controlling, independent, innovative, straightforward and initiative.

🔶 YELLOW :

People who are Yellow will talk your ear off. They are optimistic and cheerful, people with a bright outlook on life. They live life for enjoyment. They are driven by merriment and laughter.

Characteristics of Yellow people :

• Talkative, social, spontaneous, full of vitality and creative.

⚫ GREEN :

Green people, not aliens but people who are Green. They are your average guy next door (which is not necessarily a bad thing). They are the most common and balanced colour. They are calm, leisurely and easygoing.

Characteristics of Greens :

• Patient, relaxed, considerate, thoughtful and reliable.

🔵 BLUE :

People who are Blue have all the right answers. They like to analyse, classify, evaluate and assess. Everything in their houses is organized in a particular way. They are reserved, analytical and detail-oriented.

Characteristics of Blue people :

• Systematic, quality-oriented, perfectionists, logical and methodical.

In the book Thomas dives deep into each colour, their strengths, weaknesses, body language, how they communicate, their stressors and how they deal with stress.

He also teaches us how to adapt to each colour and how to apply what we have read in real life.

Did I enjoy the book ??

Yes, yes I did. The book is about human behaviour so, of course I enjoyed it. I took it with me everywhere. It made me look interesting and smart.

What did I think ??

I think the book was great. It was another self-awareness tool. A way to better understand myself and those around me. It was really insightful. I love these sort of things, systems that categorise people. I always find them interesting.

I would recommend everyone who is into personal development, self-help, non-fiction, human behaviour or anybody who wants to understand themselves and those around them better to read Surrounded by idiots.

Which colour am I ??

Red/Blue

I have some traits of Reds and some traits of Blues.

For example, I’m not always angry in fact I rarely get angry. I don’t shout, I literally can’t. My voice is just so soft. On the flip side I am extremely impatient with people. I delegate tasks and end up doing them myself. I like things to be done fast (not all things, if you know what I mean). I am very initiative, I didn’t realize how much I was until I read the book. I like to assume leadership positions.

What I’m trying to say is, no system is perfect and we are humans. We cannot be boxed into one thing.

Some people fit the exact description of a colour, some don’t.

While I was reading this book one of my friends got curious and wanted to know which colour she was. She was an absolute Yellow. It was like Yellow is the shoe and she is Cinderella. Yellow fits her perfectly, in every angle.

While for my other friends it was extremely hard to find their colour. Thomas said if someone is hard to figure out they probably have two or three colours, but nobody has all four of them.

Was is it helpful ??

In a way, yes. It was helpful.

To me the book just explained why I was the way that I was and it highlighted how people viewed me as a person. I guess I didn’t use the book the way it was supposed to be used. I used it to understand myself better instead of trying to understand other people.

You can definitely gain a lot of knowledge about human behaviour on the book. It is worth the read.

Yes the rumours are true. I am starting a new segment on our home, Gteenlife. We are going to review books on the first day of every month. This month’s book was Surrounded by idiots. Next month’s book is The power of habits by Charles Duhigg.

Thank you so much for reading. Be sure to join in on next month’s book review. Follow the blog so that you won’t miss it. Till next time 💖.

If you’re up for it here are some other juicy reviews of Surrounded by idiots :

Book review : Surrounded by idiots by Thomas Erikson. By Lee A. Vockins

In one word, Surrounded by idiots by Thomas Erikson is…