Think of a problem or challenge you’re facing right now.Identify your problems,
but give your power and energy to solutions.
Anthony Robbins
As its name suggests, Solutions Focus Coaching concentrates not on problems, but looks instead at what’s already working for solutions. The theory is based on these three commonsense principles:
1. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
2. Once you know what works, do more of it, and
3. Stop doing what doesn’t work and do something different.
At the heart of Solutions Focus coaching is the Miracle Question, which is asked early on in the process to elicit the Ideal Outcome and to draw out any existing solutions to the current problem or issue. Here’s a simplified version of the Solutions Focus process that you can try for yourself.
Think of a problem or challenge you’re facing right now.
Ask yourself the Miracle Question:
Suppose that tonight you go to bed and go to sleep as usual. But during the night a miracle happens. Your problem vanishes and the issues that have been worrying you are resolved. But because you’re asleep you don’t know that the miracle has happened. So… when you wake up tomorrow what will be the first indications that tell you the miracle has taken place? What will be different? What changes will you notice? How will you know that the transformation has occurred? What will you be doing? What will you be saying? What will other people notice? What else?
On a scale of 0-10 where 10 is the Ideal as described above and 0 is the worst things have ever been — where are you now? (Let’s say you’re at a 4). What’s helped you to get to a 4? What are you already doing to achieve that score? When have you experienced even a part of the ideal? What was happening then? (Here you’re looking for resources and skills you already possess and can use more of to help overcome your current issue).
Ask yourself what small step could you take in the next couple of days to get you a little further up the scale — say to a 4.5 or a 5? What would be the first small signs of progress?
Finally, keep reviewing your progress by asking What’s better?
Sometimes we can be so bogged down in our problems that seeing a way out feels impossible. The Miracle Question is a really handy way to take yourself out of the problem and, by focusing on your ideal outcome, start the journey towards a resolution.
Don’t dwell on what went wrong.
Instead, focus on what to do next.
Spend your energies on moving forward toward
finding the answer.
Denis Waitley
Worry is like a rocking chair — it gives you something to do
but won’t get you anywhere.
Unknown Author
The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the
same level of thinking we were at when we created them.
Albert Einstein