Trying to decide whether to sell her small business to a much larger organization, Irene made list after list of the pros and cons of the sale, but still couldnt make up her mind. It would certainly relieve a lot of day-to-day stress if she had the financial resources of the larger organization to back her up. On the other hand, she liked the autonomy of being her own boss.
I asked Irene to imagine her business as an animal. She thought for a moment and told me it was a mouse. When I asked her to picture the larger organization as an animal, it looked like a tiger. Imagining the interaction between the tiger and the mouse, she immediately saw the mouse (her business) being quickly crushed and eaten. Her intuition had given her the critical information she needed, and she decided not to sell.
Sometimes a picture, especially one you create yourself, really is worth a thousand words. Logical thinking is quite useful for many types of decision making. When you are feeling stuck, though, you need your intuition. Creating images will help you understand patterns that may otherwise be eluding you.
Six months after Franks retirement, we discussed his boredom with his current life. Although he had chosen early retirement for very good reasons, he missed many things about his former job. When I asked him what animal his former job reminded him of, he immediately choose a buffalo. As he described the buffalos power, he realized that one thing he missed most was having an impact on others. As he redesigned his life, having an impact became a central theme.
Creating images of situations allows you to include information you may think is irrelevant or politically incorrect. It also helps uncover secret information about yourself that is blocking your progress.
Once, in a workshop, I drew a picture of a drooping plant to represent my current life. When I drew another picture, of how I wanted my life to be, I drew a stick figure (me) carrying a stick figure baby. I almost immediately realized that the baby was the *book I had been thinking about writing, and that I needed to get started. (Click HERE for the expanded story.)
Coaching tip: If you want a new perspective on any situation, PLAY with picturing it as an animate or inanimate object. Draw the object (you dont need to be an artist) and step back and describe it. Have fun.
Additional Information: *The book I wrote is now online as The Integrity Course.
[tags] Coaching, Making Decisions, Managing Change [/tags]
