Insight from the beach

As I often do when I'm at home I had breakfast on the beach this morning (yes even in chilly Fife, over the Forth from Edinburgh, Scotland). I thought I'd share the types of insight you might get when using Landscaping Your Life principles on a walk on the beach, and applying them to a real life problem/situation.

To get even more from reading this post you may want to think of a situation you'd like more clarity about. Perhaps one you're stuck about what to do next, or want a different perspective on. Once you've thought about the situation, and the benefit of being able to understand more clearly what to do next, put it to the back of your mind. 

The power of using metaphors to resolve issues, is that we don't need to bring the content of the current situation with us - just consider the metaphor, in this case the beach, and notice what we notice about it. You may even want to just look at the pictures first, and ignore what I've written. That way you're allowing your mind to find its own connection to the beach, and it isn't being swayed by mine. 

This image a reminder perhaps that there's not only ever just one solution - there's often many. Here the sign is saying the Fife coastal path can be found in both directions.

If you're thinking you might have missed the tide remember there's another in less than 12.5 hours. You can see, even in the 30 minutes between these pictures, how much the tide has moved.

Perhaps it's time therefore to stop fighting and go with the flow:

I wrote a post some time ago about the incremental progress of the tide. When the water is calm it's hard to see the changing tide, and yet progress is being made every second of every minute of the day. Something it's useful to remember when we're getting impatient about a situation.

There's a great vlog however, on not procrastinating, especially if the time to take action is now, and you don't need to wait for the tide to change.

Another laughter filled vlog reminds us that if we keep doing the same thing we'll keep getting the same outcome (NB: turn the sound down first)

Or if we have our head in the sand

We're reminded of the wider perspective we can see if we take our head out of the sand.

Or perhaps we need reminding that the sun is always here - even if it is hidden behind a cloud.

If you need to turn a corner in the situation why not do it in nature:

The following image might help provide a possible solution if you're treading water in life. 

I know if may feel a little like overwhelm. Especially if only one of these solutions seems applicable to your situation? In coaching sessions it's obviously easier for you to observe only the aspects of the landscape that make sense to you. Here I'm using insights many people have had from exploring the beach - in the hope, that there's an image that applies for every one reading.

Perhaps insight might come from thinking about a beach you've visited - your favourite, the one you've visited the most, or one you'd like to visit. 

Consider the following images of other beaches:

As you bring this metaphorical trip to the beach to a close, think about the original situation. Notice what you notice - what insight and/or action has come to mind, and when will you take it? 

I'd love your feedback on what you liked about the process, what you discovered, and any questions you might have. Please leave them below in comments.

Alison Smith

Landscaping Your Life

Using nature to inspire change inside and out