The Blog of Jamie Smart

admin April 16th, 2009

Last week we explored NLP anchoring essentials. This week we’re going to look at something that exists in almost every conversation, but that is outside of most people’s awareness. In this article, I’m going to open the door on the metaphorical worlds that we all use to navigate through our lives.

During the NLP Techniques Masterclass, I said to everyone “You can have whatever you want, so make sure & let me know what it is so I can help you get it.” Part way through the training, I asked if anyone had something they wanted me to coach them on. A woman called Elaine responded with this:

Um … I’m hesitating cause there’s like so many different facets of it … um … one of the things I want though is to greater clarity of that whole … what you just said about the unconscious versus the conscious mind … really struck a chord with me and I think I need … I want to get further down the … the road of really understanding how much … um … I do things because I feel I ought to and how much I do things because I really want to and how much am I limiting or changing what I do because I’ve imposed expectations upon myself.

As you look through the paragraph, you may already have started to notice certain metaphors jumping out at you. Here are some of the ones I spotted:

• Facets (Whatever “it” is, it’s multi-faceted, like a gem)

• Clarity (at the very least, a sensory word relating to her auditory or visual representations)

• Struck a chord (sensory word, auditory / kinaesthetic, metaphorical in nature)

• Further down the road (metaphor, understanding is a road)

• Imposed (could be sensory visual / kinaesthetic, metaphorical)

As the masterclass is a teaching context, I asked people in the group what they’d noticed, & pointed out some of the things I’d noticed. Then I decided to explore one of Elaine’s metaphors more deeply.

Jamie: …how far down the road have you already come?

Elaine: A long way.

Jamie: Oh, great.

Elaine: Um … but what I realised over this weekend and last weekend is that it’s all one great, big, fun journey.  I don’t think I’m one of these people who’s destined to do the same thing all the time and that’s cool.

What Elaine reveals in here is that life (at least in relation to her work) is modeled as a journey (and in Elaine’s case, a great big fun journey). The way a person models their life has a powerful impact on how they experience it. Compare the following:

• Work is a great big fun journey
• Work is a struggle
• Work is a game
• Work is a battle
• Work is an adventure

Try these on & notice how they feel different. What resources do each of them offer that the others don’t. What are the advantages & disadvantages of each metaphor?

1) Choose some goal or dream that you’ve been wanting to achieve, or a change that you’ve been wanting to make, but haven’t managed to do so yet.

2) Ask yourself the question “How is it that I haven’t managed to do this yet?” & write down your answer.

It’s essential that you write down your answer (maximum a few paragraphs), because your written response will contain clues to the metaphors that are operating in this area of your life. For instance:

Goal	Explanation	Metaphors
I want to get really fit & healthy.	I’ve made some solid steps towards achieving it, but I keep running into a brick wall & end up back where I started.	Steps, towards, running, brick wall, back where I started… This is a spatial metaphor (like a journey) with a beginning & a direction.
I want to get a promotion at work.	I’ve had some big wins, but last year I had an injury that knocked me out of the game for a few months, so I’m only just getting back to full-strength.	Big wins, knocked out, game, full-strength… This is a game metaphor.

Goal	Explanation	Metaphors
I want to meet my soul-mate.	I feel like there’s someone out there, & it’s our destiny to meet, but our paths just haven’t crossed yet.	Out there, destiny, paths… Another spatial metaphor
I want to grow my business & reach a whole new market.	Taking our existing markets has been a real battle, & I just don’t know if we’ve got the resources to out-maneuver the competition.	Taking, battle, resources, out-maneuver, competition… This is a war / battle metaphor.

When you notice the guiding metaphors that show up in people’s language, you can identify the different resources that are implicit in that metaphor. For instance…

Client: I’ve made some solid steps towards achieving it, but I keep running into a brick wall & end up back where I started.

Coach: Rather than running into the wall, what happens when you walk slowly up to it now, & really see it clearly, & start to explore what it’s made of, & what it’s been trying to do for you?

Often, their metaphor will contain all kinds of valuable resources. On other occasions, it can be useful to ask what other metaphors might be useful. I was once coaching a big-six consultant (back in the days when there actually were six big consultancies). She had to go to networking meetings as part of her job, but she really hated them because it was such a BATTLE. I asked her what she loved doing, & she said playing field hockey. Then I asked her what happened when she imagined approaching networking like she was playing field hockey. All of a sudden she sprang to life! Viewing networking through the metaphor of a game she loved rather than a battle she hated transformed her experience of it, instantly!

You can watch & listen as I unpack people’s metaphors (& show you how to do it too)  on the NLP Techniques Masterclass DVDs. Get your copy right away to ensure you give your clients, colleagues & friends the best experiences & results possible. We’ve only produced 100 PAL & 100 NTSC copies, so order now to ensure you don’t have to wait for the next run.

NLP Techniques  Master Class DVD

Have a great week

To your success!

Your friend

Jamie Smart

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