Following on from giving the problem a purpose we then move to a redefinition of the problem to hopefully take it from a negative to a positive.
Something that we are all guilty of doing at times is focussing on the bad in a given situation which is especially so when we are directly involved in it. Sometimes it can be easier if the situation does not directly affect us to remain slightly less biased but even then we quite often fall into ‘group think’, that state where we adopt the beliefs of the masses.
The infinitely more difficult thing to do is to try and remain impartial and see the good in any situation, even if it appears to be negative. Often, asking the question,”what can I learn here?” helps to reframe the situation. Once reframed situations are often easily resolved or made the best of.
Redefining the problem could be as simple as looking for the lesson in the problem, putting the problem into a wider context or looking at it not as a problem but as an opportunity which can often be done in even with the most difficult of problems.
An example of this in a recent coaching session was my work with someone who consistently looked to please her boss. She saw this as a problem because of some of the consequences it caused such as being late home, working on her holidays, working weekends, not being able to relax etc. Once we redefined the problem from simply all of the previous to actually the root cause of ‘people pleasing’ which in and of itself is not necessarily a problem we were able to come up with some viable alternatives.
The bottom line here is that the ultimate goal for redefining the problem is so as to give ourselves alternatives with which to consider and act upon. This act of creating alternatives will be the next step we will explore.
