Well it’s been a long wait for the Ship in a Bottle solution – longer than I thought it would be…but that just builds the suspense, doesn’t it?!
As a prelude…
People tend to forget that their thoughts are not reality, just their filtered interpretation of reality. This is sometimes described as “The map is not the territory” or “You can’t eat the menu”.
Similarly, when people encounter a problem, they often forget that they created the frame that created the problem in the first place. And as they’re living inside the frame, they can’t see a way out. This is the dilemma that causes so many people to be “stuck”.
Examples are:
- a person who hates their job who can’t motivate themselves to leave because they can’t imagine enjoying work
- a person who is depressed who can’t access happiness, which is just the resource they need to set them free from feeling depressed
- a person who has low self-esteem because they’re measuring themselves against their own unrealistically high standards
The answer is to create yourself a different frame.
Note that this is not “imagine it and it will come to pass”. It is about not constraining yourself with your own thoughts.
So to the Ship In Bottle solution…
As I clearly specified this was a “thought problem”, and you imagined the ship in the bottle in the first place…all you have to do is to imagine you got the ship out!!
Until next time
Martin
Crash open the Bottle.
and shift your frame of reference
I LOVE the illustration you used.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Single Baby Boomer Dating Success Expert
I like this line of thinking.
Robert Martin
http://www.carbuyinghq.com
I made a comment yesterday telling you how interesting the solution to your puzzle was.
The comment is gone. The reason I mention this is that I thought you would get a lot of action off that post.
Are you possibility losing comments somehow?
Martin O’Connor
http://smallbusinessdesigncenter.com
Martin
I’m not aware that I’m losing comments, but thanks for alerting me.
I did upgrade WordPress yesterday so…anything could have happened!
Thanks for re-commenting.
Martin
Martin,
>
their thoughts are not reality, just their filtered interpretation of reality
>
I like this statement much.
We always think only “we” can see the reality while others are blind to it
)
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion
I didn’t like the solution to your challenge. It does point out the importance of frames and how the proper framing can change one’s whole reality.
Steve Chambers, Body Langauge Speaker
How do we get out of this one? It’s not just our imagination.
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/10/action-alert-obama-to-cede-us-sovereignty-in-december.html
Martin O’Connor
http://smallbusinessdesigncenter.com
I think that Obama is attempting you use your solution and I don’t like it. I prefer actions that make sense.
Seize the Day,
Rob
Simple Survival Tips For Disasters and Emergencies
Obama needs to change the frames he’s creating before we all get stuck!
People tend to forget that their thoughts are not reality, just their filtered interpretation of reality.
Oh this is so true. A good reminder to keep in mind when one is stuck.
Vicki http://www.bridal-threads.com
“Greg
October 20th, 2009 at 12:21 am · Reply
Hmm…why did we put the ship in there in the first place?!!!”
I’m imagining Martin inside the bottle for that riddle…
lol.
Greg Dougall, Philanthropist-in-Training
well played sir. I liked that answer.
Bert (alter ego- Mister P)
MisterP.org/blog
Okay it’s like distracting yourself from negative thoughts
Jose Escalante
http://www.joseescalante.com
Hmm, I’d only be interested in getting the ship out if it had some hot pirates on board.
Katie
Okay, I take issue with this. In your original post you asked: “How do you get the ship out of the bottle without breaking the bottle or collapsing the ship in any way?”
You asked me HOW TO.
Saying it doesn’t matter is an irrelevant statement. Would you say that to a client? Not if you want to build credibility.
Kate
I haven’t said it doesn’t matter, and would agree that if I said, “Oh just snap out of it and change your frame of reference” that would be unlikely to work!
My point is that when a person is entrenched in their problem they often can’t see that there is an alternative because the problem itself prevents their realising that there is an alternative.
This is about helping the client to realise that other possibilities exist for them. It is a first step towards blowing the boundaries of the problem, and is by no means a complete therapeutic intervention.
The detail of the “How” would very much depend on what the client responds best to, and would assume you have the necessary credibility and rapport, which I agree is critical in these situations.
Martin
I always like the reframing thing. great post!
Lisa McLellan
Babysitting Services – Babysitter in your area
Martin,
I like the information you’re giving us.
Health, Fitness for Working People — Darryl Pace
Reframing is one of my favourite NLP skills!
Keri Eagan
AlternativeHealing*Insight