Metaphors for life

Changing the metaphor you use can change your life, helping you on your self improvement path.
Metaphors relate two very different things in order to bring greater understanding to one of them.

Here are some examples of Metaphors for Life:

Metaphor for life

• Life is a three-ring circus.
• Life is a minefield.
• Life is a roller coaster.
• Life is a puzzle.
• Life is hell and then you die.
• Life is a symphony.
• Life is a journey, not a destination.
• Life is a dance.
• Life is a carousel (sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, and sometimes you just go round and round).
• Life is the pits.
• Life is a game of cards (you have to play the hand you are dealt).
• Life is a race.
• Life is a marathon.
• Life is a battle.
• Life is an adventure.

Metaphor for life

Okay, so they are not really metaphors but similes. But most people consider them metaphors.
Can you see what a difference it could make to believe the different metaphors for life listed here? If you viewed life as a battle, you would behave very different than if you believed life is a dance. This demonstrates the power of words and positive thinking. Changing the metaphors for life that you use could make a dramatic difference to your life.

I've said for years that I felt 'Life is an Adventure'. But knew deep down that I really didn't believe that. I wanted to. I didn't know why I couldn't quite believe in it. Then one day, I was trying to come up with an opposite example of 'Life is an Adventure' for an article I was writing, when I realized that what I really believed was that 'Life is a maze with booby traps everywhere'. That's the way I behaved most of my life. That's the way I still behave occasionally.

I didn't want life to be a maze, or full of booby traps. I've always longed to be an explorer. Going new places. Learning new things. Being courageous and confident.

But I approached everything with fear and caution. For most of my life, I couldn't even order a pizza without being afraid of making a mistake.

Through therapy I came to realize that I was terrified of showing that I was incompetent. Whenever I made a mistake I would beat myself up over it for a very long time (days, months, sometimes years).

Over the years and with a bit of therapy. I came to realize that I'm not incompetent and that making a mistake doesn't make me so. It just makes me human. I accepted that, but on some level I was still overly cautious. Some more years passed and my metaphors for life changed slowly and unconsciously.

As I said I was writing an article and needed something that was opposite 'Life is an Adventure'. After I came up with 'Life is a maze with booby traps for its opposite, I started to think about what that really meant. How the power of these words might affect my life differently.

Metaphor for life

I thought about my 'Life is a maze' metaphor for life. I decided that, for me, it means that life is confusing, frustrating and perilous. That mistakes could be devastating. That every step you take could result in a disaster. That extreme caution is necessary in everything.

I thought about how I went about my days with 'Life is a maze with booby traps' as my metaphor for life. I realized this belief contributed significantly to my cautiousness and my shyness. It made my life pretty confined.

Then I thought about any areas of my life where I followed 'Life is an adventure' for my metaphor for life. Backpacking being an obvious adventure area, I thought about how I do my backpacking trips. When preparing for a trip, I research thoroughly looking to minimize problems but still focus on the fun it will be and the experiences I'll have. I don't neglect the dangers. But I don't allow them to dominate my thoughts.

With backpacking I act as if all problems are temporary detours or challenges to overcome. Learning opportunities, not disasters.

I concluded that, to me, 'Life is an Adventure' means that it is exciting and challenging. That there are no permanent mistakes, just alternate ways of doing things. That everything we encounter can be overcome, resolved, fixed or made better.

As you can tell, these 2 different viewpoints result in very different approaches to life and the decisions I make.

Metaphor for life

I started thinking 'What if I really looked at life as an adventure? How would I deal with everyday decisions?' I started looking at some recent decisions and how I went about them. One was to purchase a water softener for my home.

In making this decision, I was cautious. I researched for months on the Internet. I approached it with trepidation. What if I choose the wrong one? It would be a disaster to spend all that money and not like the result! I could just see myself beating myself up for making a wrong decision. I dreaded that possibility. I dragged my feet and my skin got drier, I developed a rash.

When I changed to thinking of Life as an Adventure, suddenly the decision wasn't a probable disaster in the making, but another learning experience to add to my life. It wasn't such a hard decision to make after all.

Changing your Metaphors for Life goes along with changing your beliefs about life. The Power of Belief is very strong. When I was able to change my belief in my competence, I was able to change my Metaphors for Life. I could not force that change in metaphors until my belief in myself turned positive. Only then was I able to really look at what it might mean to look at life as an adventure.

Ever since then, decisions are getting easier and easier to make. Changing your metaphors for life can truly change your life.

What's your Metaphor for Life?