Is Your Problem Really a Problem? The Art of Reframing

​“He is too stingy,” I heard Susan utter to her friend John, about their colleague Alan that afternoon. They were at work overhearing a conversation which was a rather common pushback from Alan. “I can’t afford it. I won’t be attending the event.” was Alan’s typical retort to invitations. 
 
Susan was accustomed to hearing this. Her judgment based on what she knew of Alan had John immediately raise his eyebrows. “Are you kidding? Do you know his circumstances?” asked John. Susan realised she didn’t.
 
Alan was an introvert. He kept things to himself. John was one of the few colleagues he confided in. Alan had been extremely careful about spending on any ancillary expenses as his main focus was to see his three children through university.
 
This type of situation often happens in daily life. We judge rather than reframe — an efficient technique in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) especially when a problem seems hopeless. 
 
The ability to change the meaning of any negative experience into something useful. It’s natural to panic or be fearful when you’re faced with big problems.  But this just magnifies the problem in your head.  It’s more efficient to solve problems with NLP by shifting your focus.  It helps to clear your head and enable sensible decisions.
 
In another daily application, let’s say you break up with your partner.  You feel like it’s the end of the world.  Let’s reframe it by looking at it from a different angle. What are the possible benefits of being single?
 

• freedom to do anything you please
• time to focus solely on self
• valuable lessons from this breakup help future relationships
• you are ready for the adventure of  new potential relationships

 
NLP training teaches you how to see a different meaning to a problem, one you probably never saw before. This ultimately leads to a more positive experience of the situation.
 
Learning the art of reframing is taught at the NLP Practitioner program. For me it is an invaluable tool to have, especially when a reframe leads to a lighter meaning such as humour.