Metaphor is a powerful tool for clarity. What came to mind when you imagined that poor old octopus with his tentacle stuck under the stone? Frustration? Anger? Annoyance? When we use a metaphor to describe what’s going on it allows us to really capture the situation. It’s also a handy tool for sharing what’s going on to other people.
Over the past few months I’ve been a rabbit in headlights, the captain of a ship sailing across the ocean, a lethargic sloth with no mojo… Some situations I’ve been in have felt like a school classroom, a wide open prairie land, an adventurous and luscious mountain to climb…
We are creatures that like to find meaning, and we are intelligent communicators. There’s nothing like nailing how you feel about a situation with a spot on metaphor, and having someone else ‘get’ what you mean and how you feel as well. Metaphor can deepen your own learning about yourself and can strengthen bonds between, and spark new ideas within, those you have around you.
When you are passionate about something in the world, and you want to effect change it’s important to be able to connect deeply to what drives you, and to find ways to effectively communicate the way you feel to others. Metaphor is a brilliant tool with which to do this.
My challenge to you is to sum up five situations you’ve experienced today using a metaphor. Share the metaphor with someone you trust and notice what happens and how you feel.
I’d love to hear what comes up.
*Photo : Morten Brekkevold, creative commons BY-NC-SA