Letting go

At this time of year I get quite a few butterflies in my office. They generally flutter about the room and then head back off to the window.

The common trait as they search for the open window (at the bottom) is they head up to the top panel of glass. They then come down, and then get stuck between the 2 panes of glass. Once they stop trying so hard and relax they fall through the very small gap between the two panes as this video shows.

Next time you're stuck in a situation it might be useful to consider there may be less obvious options available that require no effort at all. 

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Making Mountains out of Molehills

When I'm working with clients to overcome their challenges and get back into flow it's useful to listen to the language they use. That is the words used often give a clue to the internal representation they have about the situation, and these words will be impacting the beliefs they have about their ability to solve the situation and/or get out of it.

Over recent blogs I've shared ways of tackling beliefs such as no pain no gain, burying your head in the sand, being in a rut, and not wanting to burn bridges. It may sound odd but having these beliefs can stop you achieving your goals. Of course it would: 

• if you believe there's no gain without pain you'll constantly search for more and more pain
• if you believe you're in a rut then there's very little you can do until you're out of it 
• if you don't want to burn your bridges you will take no action for fear of doing so
• if you believe that things will get better whilst you keep your head down you'll take no action

The common theme is these beliefs keep you stuck, immobile and taking no action. It's the same when we're making mountains out of molehills. The belief that its a mountain seems far too big a task to accomplish and insurmountable and so we take no action.

There would be various ways of assisting someone to look at this situation differently. Finding an actual molehill might be helpful for some - and definitely not for others. 

As I searched for a photo for this blog I wondered how the situation might be different if we identified with the mole in the picture creating the molehill. Since it's impossible for a mole to create a molehill the size of a mountain the molehill can only be so big (ie small). Which presupposes it's something we can easily get over, around, flatten out and/or cope with.

Once you are able to change the belief that's holding you back then action is possible and solutions can be found.  
    
Next time you think you might be making a mountain out of a molehill just remember - you are the mole that created it - and notice what you notice.

Alison Smith
Landscaping your Life
Inspiring change inside and out

I'm stuck in a rut

The language we use often provides a gateway into our mind. That is it explains how we've internally represented a situation. Previous blogs have explored phrases we use such as no pain no gain, burning bridges and burying our head in the sand. Yesterday I read a blog that referred to being 'stuck in a rut'. I'd like to share in this blog one of the very simple techniques in the landscaping your life toolkit and apply it to this phrase.

This technique assumes that saying "I'm stuck in a rut" is describing your internal representation of the current situation. Which means if you can change how you're representing it in your mind you may be able to find solutions that currently are hidden from you. 

To change the internal representation is really very easy: 

1. Find a rut, 
2. Stand in the rut 
3. Step out of the rut
4. Notice what you notice about the situation.
5. Be surprised with that you discover.

There's a video blog on this I did some time ago if you'd like to see it in practice.

Next time you find yourself in a rut remember it might be much easier than you think to get out of it.

Alison Smith
Landscaping Your Life
Inspiring change inside and out