One of our important tasks as Solution-Focused Coaches is to help our clients expand their awareness of multiple perspectives. Once awareness of limiting beliefs is created, learners are free to define what it is that they really want and the steps to get there. Here’s one example …

Picture for a moment trying to cross a riverbed strewn with large boulders. How do you view them – as annoying obstacles slowing you down? Now imagine the fast-moving water around you as you look far off toward the horizon where you are aiming to go; notice what happens to your perception of the rocks. These same rocks, previously viewed as obstacles can now be seen as stepping stones to help you along the path.

The coaches’ toolbox assists clients in reframing limiting beliefs (“I am a victim of huge obstacles”) and becoming aware of the presence of multiple perspectives (“I could choose to see them as stepping stones”). The meaning of a situation is determined by what we choose to focus on. Changing the frame of an experience can have a major influence on how we perceive, interpret and react to that experience. The choice is up to us: obstacles or stepping stones!