You have probably heard the saying “Can’t see the wood for the trees” which implies that you are too close to a problem to see the solution. It is widely used to encourage people to take a step back and take time to review. We are also familiar with the term “there are two sides to every story”
Unfortunately, my experience with clients is that even when they take that step back, they still tend to focus on the problem rather than the positives, i.e. they only look at on side of the story. Focusing on the problem only makes you feel worse and increases the perceived ‘gap’ between the issues and the solutions.
Here is a very simple solution to help you focus on the solutions rather than the problems;
- Take a coin and place it on your desk, night stand, or somewhere where you can leave it for a period of time.
- Look at the coin. What do you see? You see one side (could be heads or tails). When you look at the coin and notice one side, can you see the other side? No because it is against the table. So you are only looking at one side, right?
- Now here comes the physical part of the exercise. Get ready. Deep breath…..
- Turn the coin over.
- Now what do you see?
- You see a different face of the coin. It is the same coin, but a different side of it (aka, a different perspective). Now where has the original side gone? It is still there (on the other side of the coin), but you can’t see it.
So what does all this mean?
When you put the coin down and look at it. This coin represents how you are currently looking at what’s going on in your business or life or both, i.e. you are only looking at one side of it. Since we tend to allow ourselves to focus on negative things, then the side of the coin you are now looking at represents the negative elements affecting your business, life, etc. The positive elements are being blocked because they are on the other side of the coin which, at the moment, you cannot see because you are focussing on only one side of the coin.
Now turn the coin over. What have you done? 
You have taken positive action which will enable you to focus on the other side of the coin (that’s the practical bit). You have also turned the negativity ‘off’ by turning that face of the coin into the table. So you are now looking at your business, life or both and you are only focusing on the positives and on the actions you can take.
You have taken positive action which will enable you to focus on the other side of the coin (that’s the practical bit). You have also turned the negativity ‘off’ by turning that face of the coin into the table. So you are now looking at your business, life or both and you are only focusing on the positives and on the actions you can take.The negative is still there. The problems may remain, but by focussing on the other side of the matter, you are allowing yourself the opportunity to do something to change your situation and address the problems. Without turning the coin of your business or life over, you will focus more and more on the negative and not allow yourself the benefit of focussing on the positive.
I have used this technique with a number of clients at this stage. It is simple and practical yet so beneficial. The results are startling. Some people find it hard to believe that the solution they seek is so simple, yet when they look at their situation from the position of a coin on a table, they instantly see ‘both sides of the coin’ as it relates to them and their situations.
Try it out. The results might surprise you…