By Sunny Simon
My friend Carolyn is a cautious driver. The one exception occurred many years ago. On that day, a very surprised Carolyn was pulled over by a local sheriff for exceeding the speed limit. She dutifully accepted a ticket and scheduled traffic school.
While sitting in class several weeks later my friend felt antsy and bored. Unfortunately, the course, designed in lecture format, was delivered by an instructor who ignored any opportunity to make the material even a tiny bit interesting.
Carolyn drove home disappointed. Later that evening over dinner, she lamented her lackluster experience to husband Michael. During that conversation Carolyn experienced an “aha” moment. She realized Michael, an author, lecturer and all around humorous fellow could breathe life into a traffic class. After all, there is certainly no law against making learning entertaining. That conversation took place over twenty years ago. Since then, Carolyn and Michael have helped ticketed offenders become better drivers while learning in a fun atmosphere.
We cannot prevent unwanted situations from happening, but we can convert the lessons learned into something positive by applying a reframing strategy. That is exactly what Carolyn did. While rewinding the mind-numbing traffic class, my creative friend put her spouse in the picture. She visualized Michael running the program.
The art of reframing experiences may take some practice. The first step is to get rid of any limiting beliefs. For Carolyn, it was easy. She believed traffic school need not be boring.
Let’s make this a little more personal. Imagine vying for a promotion you worked extremely hard to achieve. You feel you deserve it; however, you also know the boss’s pet is up for the same opportunity. If you give into thinking; she is the fair-haired child – don’t have a shot at trumping her alliance with our manager, you create a limiting belief. Power through that crippling thought process and change the picture. Rather than thinking, I’ll never get the promotion, reframe your internal dialogue. Tell yourself repeatedly…I have a good chance at it.
Next, think positive and list all the reasons why you should be promoted. What other steps can you take to make getting the advancement a reality? If any aspect of your resume requires upgrading, take action.
Ready for the final reframing? See yourself in the new position. Carolyn pictured Michael in the frame as seminar leader. Follow suit. Nail that promotion by mentally writing your own ticket.
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com
