“Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space”
– Orson Scott Card
When an experience is profound, words often feel so inadequate, and so we use metaphors to express what we mean.
But metaphors are more than just poetic descriptions of things. They can become powerful guides for living. In ARTbundance Coaching, we encourage clients to play with the metaphors, similes, and analogies to help see challenges in a new light.
For example:
What if this situation was an ocean? (How could I better ride out this situation, or appreciate its hidden power, or use its flowing nature?)
What if this project was a baby? (How could I better care for it, or appreciate the power of its yet unspoken words, or what could I learn from its pure heart?)
You can even get wild and throw in interesting adjectives, if you really want to get your mind stirring:
What if this challenge was purple? (How would I then think differently about it, how would it make me feel?)
What if this deadline was chatty? (What would it tell me? What would I tell IT? 🙂 What is its favorite song?)
Whenever you’re faced with a challenge, try opening up the situation to see what lessons are there in the metaphors you explore. A bad experience can be seen in a whole new life as you use metaphors to add new colors, textures, and depth to it.
Our lives are poetic novels, filled with the metaphors we choose, day by day, moment by moment.
What metaphor might YOU choice today?
