Belief Drives Reality — What You Believe You Create
Here at the-Coaching Blog-run by Gerard O’Donovan, our aim is to constantly bring value to those seeking to improve their lives. Therefore we have a policy of publishing articles and materials by guest authors whom we value and appreciate. Today’s guest author is Sarah Lane (United Kingdom).
Reality is such an interesting word. Is it a concept? Is it what is? Is it important? What does it mean to and for you? Our beliefs are intrinsically attached to our values, those things in our lives that are of most importance. So you might think that they can’t change so why worry, but you can change them if you choose to. Things change in terms of importance during our lives or our understanding of things changes through time and experience. Life is not static by nature, even for those of us with a love for keeping things the same. It would save me a fortune if hair did not go grey and lots of energy if it was as easy at 40 as at 30 to stay a certain dress size!
“If you don’t change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?”
-W. Somerset Maugham
Change Your Thinking, Change Your Reality
It seems to be becoming endemic in the UK culture to focus externally when things don’t go our way. For example, falling over a loose paving slab and rather than thinking ‘I really must look where I’m going’ it seems many think first of ‘the council should have fixed that’. Missing out on promotion and some thinking it’s about the interviewer or the bias in the system rather than asking what they could have done differently or accepting that they were just not a good fit for the role. It may be that the externally focused thoughts are correct, but to think them and believe them to be reality can be paralysing and depressing. Thinking creatively around problems that emerge can offer greater options and success by keeping you focused on what you want. Whatever you are focused upon you will get drawn towards, so if you maintain focus on the problem, then the likelihood is that you will get more of the same or certainly not break out of the current situation. You may even try approaches to changing the situation that has worked previously, but this time you are finding there’s no progress. Do you keep doing the same but try harder when this happens or do you change your approach? I would suggest a change of approach is the most likely to be fruitful, especially if you remember the old adage of the definition of madness — ‘doing the same thing expecting a different result!’.
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them — Albert Einstein
Solution focused thinking is something that can work for you as an individual and it can have amazing results at a team or even organisational level. So let me share with you what that is first by telling a story of how this played out for me with a client and then I will gift you an exercise that, should you want to change your thinking and therefore your reality, that you might find useful.
Working with a global manufacturing company I was told a story of some issues that they were having in their Italian manufacturing plant. It was related to the Health and Safety Executives equivalent in Europe and HR disciplinary processes so I introduced them to a colleague who was highly experienced in the field (Adele). Once Adele researched the issue, it became apparent that although the stated problem was that the factory was under notice of potential shut down due to safety breaches the root of the issue was influencing the shop floor team to wear their safety goggles. The HR team and management had tried traditional ways to change the behaviour such as written warnings and more informal requests but to no avail. Adele and I put our heads together and talked about using the solution focused approach because it took into account more creative ways of thinking and got you out of your own way.
EXERCISE — Solution Focused Approach
Take yourself through the steps below with a problem that you currently want to change either at work or home. It does not have to be huge it can be an every day problem, but do make sure it’s one that matters to you. Notice how it feels different and what impact that has on your resourcefulness.
Step 1 — Define what’s the problem.
In Adele’s Italian example, it was the potential factory shut down due to the team not wearing safety equipment
Step 2 — Define what you want. If you were to wake up tomorrow morning and the problem had disappeared what would be the first indicators to you that things had changed?
In the Italian example, it was that the Safety notice would be lifted and all the shop floor team was happily wearing their safety equipment including goggles.
Step 3 — Where else in the world does what you describe in step 2 already exist to some degree?
In our example in Italy men (which made up 99% of the shop floor team) wore glasses happily when out in the sunshine — sun glasses!
Step 4 — Apply the thinking to your current situation.
In Italy the management invested with a designer from Prada to create a new looksgoggle for the shop floor team. Still safety focused but looking good and designer branded… job done!
About Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane is an executive and personal career coach, trainer, facilitator, behavioural change specialist and busy mum of a 2 year old. She has spent the last 20 years working in and with people from all walks of life: from chief executives to charity fundraisers, FTSE 100 teams to media creative’s. She is the author of the coaching book: Choices (£14.99, Panoma Press).
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