Testing the Water

Over the summer I've started Open Water Swimming (OWS) - currently without a wet suit. As a kid I'd have said swimming in the sea, but with the increasing interest in Triathlons swimming outside has taken on a new lease of life for adults along with getting a new name - OWS or Wild Swimming.

The temperature of the sea water here in Scotland over the last few weeks has been about 12 degrees (c53 degrees Fahrenheit). The phrase testing the water has therefore real meaning to me at the moment.

As I have many times before on sayings we use to describe situations in our lives, I wondered what we could learn from nature about testing the water.

Before reading my suggestions you might want to think about a situation where testing the water might be something you're considering doing - that way you can apply these insights to that real life challenge.

Here's what I've discovered:

• We need to be clear what we're testing the water for - cold, depth, cleanliness, clarity, sandy bottom and/or beasties.
• You can't tell the temperature by looking at the water - the only way is to get wet.
• You can tell if there are numerous jellyfish about by looking - although the odd one can and does often just emerge out of the depths just where you're swimming. 
• Asking other people for their opinion isn't as easy as you think - we all have different tolerances for cold - in the same way we do for warm temperatures. 
• After the initial cold-shock the body will adapt and it won't feel as cold.
• Moving about reduces the impact of the cold.
• You may not notice when your body has had enough of the cold - ie as weird as it sounds it's easy to stay in too long especially once hypothermia has taken hold and is playing games with your mind and body!
• Starting slowly and building up is a healthier and safer strategy than just jumping in and going for it.
• Your body temperature can continue to drop after you've left the water so don't over do time in the water until you're more acclimatised to it. 
• Going in when the sun is shining is certainly better in the initial acclimatisation stages.
• There's plenty of equipment available to help us more comfortably exist in the watery environment - wet suits, goggles, caps, gloves, shoes etc.
• Warm drinks and food, and lots of layers to put on help with warming up afterwards. 
• Tide tables help in determining the height of the tide and therefore how far we can swim and not get out of our depth.
• Continued immersion over a few weeks will increase your habituation to the cold water.
• The people who think you're mad have never done it themselves - other open water swimmers are full of enthusiasm and support for you to continue. "As long as you're still enjoying it" said Iona, one of the local lifeguards. 
• The benefits are certainly worth it - swimmer's high, higher rate of calorie burn, improved blood flow, & boosted immune system.

Did any of these help you see the situation you're needing to test the water about differently? 

For me the biggest insight was about not listening to those who have not even tried doing what you want to do - take advice from experts who have been on the same journey you're just starting. Another insight was about not taking your initial reaction as the long term forecast for how it's going to be forever - habituation/acclimatisation can take place very quickly.

After 3 weeks and 9 swims I'd say "What are you waiting for, go for it and you'll be pleasantly surprised with all the positive benefits!"

Alison Smith
Landscaping your Life
Using unconventional tools to unlock your potential

Stick in the mud

Are you a stick in the mud? Or perhaps someone in your life is a stick in the mud, and it's frustrating you?

Consider for a moment the benefit to you of releasing the frustration, or not being set back by this behaviour?

The words we're using can often help us understand what's going on in our mind. Whether logical or metaphorical, they explain how we're relating to any given situation. Which means if we're unsure what to do in a situation, the answer might be found in the words we're using - or in this case the metaphor we're using.

For example if you're describing someone, or even yourself, as a 'stick in the mud' then why are you using that description if not because it makes sense at some level.

If it makes sense to describe the situation in this way my hypothesis is, you'll also find the solution there too, for example:

• If you're stuck in a rut the answer is in the rut
• If you can't see the wood for the trees the solution can be found in the trees
• If you're struggling to keep your head above water the water is the key 
• And the circle may provide the clue when you're going around in circles

As with all metaphors it's helpful to NOT mix then up with reality - so think of the 'stick in the mud' situation, and then put it to the back of your mind whilst we explore real sticks in real mud!

Bring to mind the metaphorical stick in the mud that you're imagining when you use those words:

• How long is the stick? 

Please don't be surprised if you do have an answer - your mind is a meaning making machine, and as such if you're using the words will have a picture of some sorts that accompanies the words. 

Let's explore the image a little more: 

• How wide is the stick? 
• What's it sticking in? 
• How gloopy is the mud? 
• and so on. 

Build up a picture of the stick in the mud - you might want to draw it (and no I'm not pulling your leg - drawing as I discovered when going around in circles can be very helpful), or make a collage, or go and visit some real mud with a real stick as I did, as you will see very soon.

Once you've done that consider the options for that stick. The options might include:

• Staying where it is
• Being picked up and moved somewhere else
• Waiting for the mud to dry out
• Floating away if it rains
• What happens if it gets icy? or snows? or the wind blows it?  
• Stopping it coming away from the tree in the first place  
• And so on - just keep thinking of ways to move the stick so it's no longer stuck in the mud.

Before considering how these options might relate to real life have a look at the following images of sticks in mud!

It is a short stick in the mud 

   

Or perhaps a little longer

or even longer

Or very tall (as sticks go)

Or perhaps a little thicker!

Or perhaps there's a whole host of sticks in what has now become a big expanse of water?

Perhaps its about remembering where the stick came from, and finding a way of returning it to its home?

Did any of these images resonate - and in which case how could the stick no longer be stuck in the mud?

Reflect on the original situation - how might these metaphorical solutions and images provide an answer? 

Notice what you notice - in what way does the situation look or feel different? What insight might you have had on what action to take in the current situation?

Other posts that may also relate to the content covered here, even if they're using different sayings, are getting out of your comfort zone, bringing it in out of the cold, and treading on thin ice, 

I'd love to hear how you got on.

Alison Smith

Landscaping Your Life

Inspiring Change - inside and out

Keep your head above water

Landscaping Your Life (LYL) uses nature as a metaphor for our lives. Which means nature is used to help us find solutions to challenges we're facing. It achieves this in a variety of ways, and many of these have been shared in the posts on this blog - going for a walk, collage, observation and so on.

One process in the LYL toolkit looks at the sayings we're using to describe a stuck state, and uses the landscapes hidden within those very sayings to find the solution. For example:

• If you want see the wood for the trees the answer can be found in the trees - metaphorically at least
• If you're stuck in a rut, the answer is the rut
• If you're like a fish out of water, the fish knows what to do
• If you're out on a limb, the limb is the solution
• If you're making mountains out of molehills, you are the mole who knows what to do
• If your head is in the sand, the solution will be found in the sand dunes, desert or sandpit!

Once a solution has been found the aim, and you'll have to take my word for this, is to be able to go metaphorically with the flow, and head for the ocean.

Often when stuck in a rut, or unable to see the wood for the trees, the aim to go with the flow isn't contradictory with our current predicament. That is, you can be stuck in a rut, and then move into the flow. If you're in a wood it's certainly possible to then move into the river, and to go with its flow.

When we've treading water, however, or have our head just above the water, it's hard to envisage how going with the flow can provide an antidote. That is we're already in the water, but seem to have got stuck in a holding pattern that's keeping us in one place, rather than be able to move with the river or ocean.

Before I'd realised going with the flow was an objective we should all aspire to, a solution could have been found in any direction within a landscape (and for some it still might).

For example, with a client who had their head just above water (with a fear of imminent drowning that meant they had to keep vigorously treading water) they envisaged taking a journey out of the water into solid land. They imagined moving from head above water, to shoulders above water, to knees above water until they were able to walk up the beach, past the sand dunes, and into a very safe location - well away from the water.

At the time that visualisation helped them to shift the situation they were feeling like they are only just head above the water about. They were then able to identify actions they could take that would start to resolve the situation.

I think that's the clue 'start to resolve the situation' - not resolve it.

On reflection I realise that if I now believe the answer lies with going with the flow, then sooner or later the person above will need to get back into the water. It's very likely once they envisage doing that however, that the learned behaviour to tread water will kick in, and they will once again return to the holding pattern of going around, and around in circles.

The challenge then becomes how to kick the habit. How to head into the ocean, and trust that all is well. To realise we don't need to try so hard to keep our head above the water. To know that abandoning ourselves to the flow is enough. 

I feel the need to remind you that we're still talking metaphorically, because that's the clue to finding the solution. We're using a metaphor to describe the situation, and therefore need to use the metaphor to find the solution. We can't mix the metaphor with real life - a half metaphor, half life isn't an effective long term solution. We have to fully immerse ourselves in the metaphor, and only once we've done that can we try to understand what that means in reality. 

I wrote a short story that may provide the solution to some readers who are currently feeling like they've only just got their head above water. It's entitled The Wave. 

The Wave is a story that prompted me to realise the reason many resist going with the flow - because we're scared where it will taken us. The rapids, the waterfall, the deep ocean are all scary places when we imagine ourselves floating in the water at the behest of a power greater than us.

What happens however if we realise we are the water, we are the flow, and ultimately we are the ocean. Head above water no longer makes sense - it's as if we're trying to be something we're not. If we are the water, then going with the flow is the most natural thing to do. It's the only thing to do. Water goes with the flow - it's what water does - it's the very essence of water. 

When we're treading water, therefore we're fighting the inevitable, and forgetting the truth of the universe, and the laws of nature. 

If we now jump back to reality, and explore what the metaphorical solution means, then for me it's about remembering our true essence - our authentic self and embracing that self 24 hours a day. 

You may find you've had other insights as you've read this post - that's the beauty of metaphor - we all interpret them differently, and yet will each find the solution contained within it.

Next time you're treading water, or feel like you've only just got your head above water, why not give this process a go, and explore the water in order to find the solution.

Do let me know how you get on. 

Alison Smith
Landscaping Your Life
Using nature to inspire change inside and out
+44(0)7770 538159  alison@alisonsmith.eu

This post helping you to stop going around in circles may also help.

Going around in circles

If you're using the saying "going around in circles" to describe a situation in your life, here's a few suggestions of how to stop going around in circles. 

We're not going to try logic, because the chances are you've already tried that, and failed. 

Instead we're going to use the metaphor contained within your language to find the solution. For more on why I use metaphors to facilitate change in mine, and clients lives read this blog.

If you're using the saying "going around in circles" it's very likely that you have an internal representation for that saying. It might be a vision of the circle, a sense of the circle, or the circle may have or make a sound. 

Bring that picture, sound, movement or feeling to mind. 

You might not have realised you had an image until I asked the question, but your mind likes to make sense of the language you're using, and will have made sense of it most likely in the form of a picture, movie, movement or sound.

Here's one client's visual when they tried doing this. 

The big black blob you can see was them drawing around, and around, and around - very quickly. 

Try it for yourself - what happens when you draw the circle you're going around in -  do you need a particular pen to draw it with, how big a piece of paper, how quickly or slowly are you drawing the circle, what length of time will you draw for, and so on - just notice what you notice.

What changes do you need to make to the drawing to stop going around in circles? 

For this client it was drawing much more slowly. This allowed the spiral to develop, as shown, and eventually a way out was observed. 

For another client they knew what direction (A) they wanted to go in, instead of the circle they were currently going around in. They therefore took their pen, and drew a line from the original circle towards this destination A, and noticed what they noticed. They ended up drawing a figure of eight oscillating between A, and the original circle. Something they could relate to, having said "not here again" a few times over the years.

The question I asked them was "what has to happen to stop going around in circles". The answer surprised us both - "go to destination B".

They then tried drawing around the original circle, followed by drawing a line to B. They were "happy as Larry", and drew a flower shape with B at it's centre, and never went near the original circle. 

On a recent workshop we had one of the delegates drawing his circles on the flipchart as we all made suggestions of changes he could make. 

What about changing direction, circling slower, or quicker, drawing a line .... all resulted in more circles. 

Until I asked him to go around in square, and then something magical happened. 

Unlike the circles the squares were distinct and yet connected - each building upon the last square and moving in a particular direction as if each a build block to achieve an outcome or to take him to a new destination.

In none of these instances did we need to understand what this exploration meant or where A or B was. The situation just felt better, and they were more satisfied. We then continued the coaching sessions developing action plans for resolving the situations we'd been talking about. Which demonstrated something had shifted, even if we didn't know, or need to know, what.

You may not find drawing helpful - if sound is more your thing - what sound does 'going around in circles' have, and how do you change the sound to get to your end destination. Who knows - a song may come to mind, and take you on the journey you need to go on, metaphorically at least, to release what's holding you back, and get you back on track.

I've had other clients who need to 'dance' or 'walk' the circle. They walk towards their destination, and then notice what they notice about how to stay at their destination, and not migrate back to their circle.

I know it sounds weird, but it's one way our mind is able to make sense of a situation. Doing so without all the content of day to day life, and judgements and musts, oughts and shoulds getting in the way. Thus we're able to bypass the resistance and barriers to making changes, and therefore to find a solution!

Do let me know how you get on.

Alison Smith

Landscaping Your Life and the Purchasing coach 

Using nature to inspire change inside and out 

Are you treading on thin ice?

If you feel like you're on thin ice in a situation, you may find the solution lies in nature and not through logic!

One of the Landscaping Your Life tools is to use the landscape described by our language to find a solution. That is, if we're using can't see the wood for the trees, stuck in a rut, or treading water to describe a situation, the solution to the situation you're describing may just be found in the wood, rut or water! Follow the links to the other posts written on those sayings.

Yesterday someone on a TV programme mentioned being on thin ice, and I wondered what additional insight could be obtained if we explored the situation metaphorically via the ice.

If being on thin ice is how you feel at the moment then do please put the situation you're describing as such to the back of your mind. That is, don't rush to relate the solutions in the landscape to the real life situation. The aim is to explore the landscape fully and, only once you've done that, return to the real life situation, and to notice what analogies can be drawn.

First let's consider what you would do if you really were on thin ice in nature:

• You'd get clear about your objective - ie where you wanted to get to
• You'd step back
• You'd wear appropriate clothing/footwear
• You'd assess the depth of the ice
• You'd try to spread your weight
• You'd try to find a safe route across, or around the ice 
• You might tie a rope to a tree in case you fall through the ice
• You might ensure other people are around
• Can you prepare for the ice breaking - make it easier somehow or less risky?

There's certainly very little you can do about the ice - it's very much about how you relate to the ice and minimising the risks involved. Although on further reflection..

• You could wait for the ice to get thicker!

Remember - at the moment we're not relating any of this to the situation you've described as being on thin ice about - we're just gathering data about being on thin ice in nature. We'll think about reality soon enough. 

If we explore the landscape and saying a little more it feels like there's a number of aspects to this saying:

• The ice
• Walking on the ice 
• Risks involved 

The ice

It's presupposed that the ice is thin - but is it - how can you test the ice to see if it really is thick enough to walk on, that it will take your weight? 

Of course the thin ice may be on the your windscreen, or hanging from the roof, or in some other place than under foot - in which case is it really a problem, and if so how might it be solved using this process (ie how would you solve a roof full of icy stalactites?)  

Walking on the ice

The ice is only thin if you intend to walk on it - if you're just looking at it, or walking around it then it's thinness isn't a problem at all!

There are many types of footwear that might make walking on ice easier - spreading your weight is also a great solution.

Risks involved

In the programme I was watching someone was warned they were on thin ice, and the response was "isn't that what life is about?" That is they didn't see walking on the ice as risky at all. Perhaps they saw themselves more like a penguin - happy if the ice did break?

You might however want to undertake a risk assessment looking at the probability of something happening, the impact if it did, and mitigating the consequences.

As I searched for pictures for this post I realised many of them may contain insight even if there was no logical reason for me including them. So here's a few images that may, or may not, add something to this investigation for you:

You may find reading the North Pole of inaccessibility post helpful - or you might not - it very much depends on how you're envisaging the thin ice, and the landscape in which it sits.

The aim is to stick with the metaphor for as long as possible - to stay in nature and determine the best course of action in the landscape.

Is there, therefore, anything else that comes to mind as you think about thin ice in nature?

Once you've fully explored the landscape, bring to mind the original situation you were feeling on thin ice about, and notice what you notice:

• Does it still feel like thin ice? 
• What actions do you need to take? 
• Does anyone else need to know about these actions, and 
• When will you take the first step?  

I'd love to have your feedback on this process, and your own exploration of being on thin ice.

Alison Smith
Landscaping Your Life
Using nature to inspire change inside and out

Are you treading water?

If you're 'treading water' in a situation in your life you might be waiting for something to happen first that will enable you to then take action - in the mean time however you're using a lot of energy to keep afloat.

The language we use provides so much information about how we're relating to a given situation. We might not be treading water in reality but by using the saying we're suggesting it feels like it.

The premise of one Landscaping Your Life process is to use the saying to find the solution - that is, if you really were treading water what could you do?

I saw this on the beach at the weekend, and realised this provided one solution for when you're 'treading water' - ie stay in the water but hold onto something to keep you afloat.

How might this solution be applied to a situation you're treading water in?

Alison Smith
Landscaping Your Life 
Using nature to inspire change inside and out 

Clearing

Clearing by Martha Postlewaite

Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently,
until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue.

This was sent to me following an exchange over on Facebook about not being able to see the wood for the trees - something I've written often about here on my blog.

Perhaps a reminder that when we can't see the wood for the trees - just sit down!

Alison Smith
Landscaping Your Life
Using nature to inspire change inside and out

Closed, Burnt or Building Bridges

If a picture paints a thousand words then a metaphor paints a thousand pictures.

Perhaps not scientifically accurate, but you know what I mean? For example if I told you I needed to "build a bridge with someone" I wouldn't need to say a lot more about what I needed to do. That is the saying contains much more information than just the 3 words. If I then told you "the bridge is closed", you'd also get a sense of the current relationship with the other person. 

With the recent lengthy closure of the Forth Road Bridge here in Scotland I wondered what additional advice could be obtained when talking metaphorically about building, or burning bridges with others. 

That is instead of advising you to ring the person you're wanting to build bridges with, or spend time with them, or speak to someone close to them we use the language of the metaphor, and talk about diversions, alternatives and contingency plans. 

The benefit of talking metaphorically in this way is that we don't get caught up in the content of the actual situation - the "he said this" then "she said that" and "why bother" etc. By keeping away from the content we're increasing the likelihood of finding a solution, because the frustrations and emotions of the real life situation don't come with us. These frustrations just get translated into aspects of the metaphor - and are much easier to deal with as a result. 

Anyway enough preamble. If you're in need of a different perspective around a situation where you're feeling like you either need to build, cross of burn bridges then read on. 

I'd suggest reading it factually at first - ie don't start to think what does a diversion look like in your current situation. Just read it, and add your own suggestions, and then once you've done that go back and think about what that really means in reality in the current situation. 

Building Bridges

Here's what observations I might make from the current closure of the Forth Road Bridge: 

• It's too easy to take for granted bridges we use every day 
• It's not the fault of the users that the bridge was closed
• It's not the decision of the users that the bridge was closed - although for safety reasons I think they all agree
• If existing bridges are not well maintained they can deteriorate and close unexpectedly
• If a bridge is closed for some time the diversions might be lengthy, involve slower speeds and therefore take longer, and as a result bring with it much frustration (if my personal and recent experience is anything to go by)
• Diversions might mean you give up using the route 
• Closed bridges don't only impact those who travel across them - there's a whole list of interested parties
• Once a bridge is closed everyone gets involved, and even those not impacted hear all about it and who is to blame etc  
• Diversions may include travelling over unknown routes, and may not always be well signposted - so Satnav or a map might be handy 
• Changing the time of travel may speed up your journey
• Alternates are unlikely to take the same route even if they take you to the same destination (Scotrail and Stagecoach) - they're likely to be busy too
• There may be more direct options than using the bridge - ignored because the bridge was there - plane, boat or hovercraft, and for other bridges swimming, jet ski, wading and so on   
• Some alternatives don't require any bridges - phone, skype, webex, working from home or working from a different office etc
• Communication about the reason for the closure, progress reports, and time for reopening, should be frequent and include multiple stakeholders
• Contingency plans should be considered if long term closure might be an outcome
• One such contingency might be building a new bridge 

In this instance there really is a new 'crossing' being built (It's not called a 'bridge'). The new crossing won't be much help however, as the closure of the existing bridge happened in Dec 2015, and the new crossing is not due for completion until December 2016.

• New bridges take time to build
• You can't rush the building of a new bridge 

If you were wanting to personally build bridges with someone - what other suggestions are there from the closure of the Forth Road Bridge and what action may you wish to take as result of reading mine and your own observations? More importantly when will you take the action?

Burning Bridges

There's a difference between intentional and unintentional burning of bridges.

If you've unintentionally burnt your bridge, or it was burnt by the other party, then you should read the observations about building bridges above. Remembering that new bridges take time to build, and diversions add extra time and frustration to your day. So best to check you really do want to burn your bridge(s) before you do so - perhaps you might want to consider closing the bridge first to test it out - so much easier to reopen a bridge than rebuild it.       

If you intentionally burnt your bridge(s) that's great - so long as no one else also relies on the bridge. You may not wish to cross the bridge - but others might. You may therefore just want to ensure you avoid the bridge in question and leave it open for others to use? 

I've written separately about someone who was procrastinating for fear of burning bridges. 

Building and Burning Crossings

Using the language of the new Forth 'crossing' I'd just like to consider what happens when we describe a bridge as a crossing. It certainly doesn't have the same feel to it to me, and having travelled over the Thelwall viaduct earlier in the week I realise there's lots more words we might want to explore using.

That's the interesting part - if we're struggling with building or having burnt our bridges can changing the words change our internal representation somehow, and therefore change our relationship to the situation? Let's see.

If you're wanting to build bridges, and you're being asked to build a crossing instead what does it mean and how does it feel - that is do more options spring to mind on what action to take than when you were building a bridge

• A crossing doesn't sound as difficult to build
• It might be a temporary structure
• It may be moveable - ie more like a ferry or even rowing boat

If you've burnt your crossing - it feels much less permanent and one you can more easily reinstate.

As ever I would love your input, feedback and comment. 

For more on the metaphors hidden in sayings we use in every day life do read these blogs:

• Making mountains out of molehills, 
• Being stuck in a rut
• Being up a creek without a paddle,   
• Not being able to see the wood for the trees, 
• Taking your head out of the sand, 
• Turning corners, and 
• Building bridges.

Festive greetings 

Alison Smith

Landscaping Your Life

Inspiring Change Inside and Out

I also wrote a Purchasing Coach blog on the insights for Procurement arising from the closure of the bridge. and do please follow the link for more on the Landscaping Your life (LYL) Toolkit. 

Over the hill

As I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday I came across the above quote by Ellen DeGeneres.

You know me - I love language and I love metaphor. Even more than that - I love exploring how the language and metaphors we use in our lives impact how we're feeling and behaving. 

Always remembering the important next step is to answer "so what?" - ie what does our exploration of our language tell us, and as a result, what changes can we make to improve the current situation.

Over the hill is an interesting phrase - mainly because it's become connected with age

Ellen is right - metaphorically it makes no sense, and usually such sayings make metaphorical, if not literal, sense. In the context of landscapes for example - we can't see the wood for the trees, we've burnt our bridges, or need to build them, have turned a corner, or are facing an uphill struggle, or are facing rough weather etc. That is, it's easy from the description to understand what is meant. 

The whole premise of the Landscaping Your Life processes is the ability to use the richness of a metaphor, that we're using to describe the current situation, to find a solution that moves us to the desired situation. 

I wonder why "over the hill" came to be synonymous with its opposite? 

The problem of course is its easy to buy into the meaning of a saying, and then make it a reality. That is we may not feel "doddering" but if we use "over the hill" too much, we might just start feeling that way!! 

For anyone buying into the conventional meaning of "being over the hill" therefore, please consider the following perspectives (you only need to find one perspective that shifts your internal way of relating to the saying). 

• Over the hill, and ready for the mountain 
• Over the hill, and can now see what's ahead
• Over the hill, having seen the panorama from the top, and have now determined the direction of travel 
• Over the hill, with the hardest bit behind you
• Over the hill, with sight of the next hill
• Over the hill, and now headed for the ocean
• Over the hill, viewed from a hot air balloon
• Over the hill, viewed by an eagle
• Over the hill, viewed by a cloud
• Over the hill and far away

Or what about:

• Over the mountain: In a language some where on Earth they won't have a word for hill only a word for mountain - with a hill being described as a small mountain (apparently Brazilian Portuguese doesn't have a word for wood only forest. I'm assuming therefore that the same must be true for hill somewhere). Which means you're really just "over the mountain".
• Being on top of the world: That is you're now on the way down from the top of the mountain having achieved something many others never will - with lessons learnt to share with others that and you take with you to your next mountain or adventure. 

Of course another suggestion would be to mix your metaphor or saying (absurdity is such a great way of shifting stuck states). So what about:

• Making hills out of molehills
• Making mountains out of hills
• Under the hill
• On top of the hill
• Through the hill
• Over the mountain 
• Over the molehill 
• Burning hills
• Can't see the mountain for the hill
• Stuck in a hill
• Head in the hill
• Up a creek without a hill

I'd love to hear your thoughts on other ways this metaphorical saying could be viewed more positively rather than negatively.

For more on Landscaping Your Life and how to use it to get back on track in your life please see the index of blogs.

Alison Smith

Landscaping Your Life

Inspiring Change Inside and Out