Sometimes the simplest of concepts can be the most profound. We study complex organizational development theories, we read endless personal development books seeking nuggets of enlightenment and we take courses and go on retreats in our continual search for ways to make our lives and organizations the best they can be. Yet there is one dead simple 2 word concept that you can adopt today that will that will forever change your life.

Write these 2 words on your bulletin board. Keep them handy. FLIP IT!  

How does this work?

Consider how you are thinking about a personal or work situation currently on your mind. Are you thinking of the struggle, the lack, the 'what is not working'?

If you are, I challenge you to FLIP your thinking and shift your thinking to your desired state. Watch your energy shift when you FLIP IT! and turn your focus to the possibilities, to abundance. "Where thought goes, energy flows".

E.g. / Your focus: I don't have any work lined up for next month

          (while mentally focused there, you are stuck with no work)  

          Flip it: I want to get 3 more clients for next month.  

         (opens up to the next step: Ok, that's what I want, now how will I do that?)

          Board Meeting focus: Sales are flat for our gala event. No one is buying tickets; we   are going to lose a lot of money (while energy is focused there, no tickets are sold)  

          Flip it: We need to sell 200 more tickets to break even.  

          (opens up to the next step: Ok, now how can we do that?)

Neuroscience backs up this approach. By keeping our minds in a 'toward' state - we are able to promote growth and insight.   It is easier for our brain to work toward something vs. the resistance one has by working away from something. Think of the draw that has even by saying it aloud.  Do you want to work toward something or work to get away from something?

Bob Newhart has a famous and ultra funny sketch called "STOP IT". When a client comes to him with her recurring fear of being buried alive in a box, his solution is simple. STOP IT! (If you haven't seen this sketch and want a laugh, click here to see it on YouTube)  

The coaching profession would have you go one step further - that is, once aware of a behavior, to then work to change it. Instead of only 'stopping' a thought, the FLIP IT formula transforms your thinking by helping you focus on your desired future state - what you want - and then you can work to put steps in place to move toward that desired state.

If we use a line of questioning with our coaching clients that asks them to focus on the problem ( i.e. what isn't working), we quickly see them lose energy and we have to manage the session to make sure they don't start a downward spiral. For example, my client Alana*, a successful senior VP came to me with a non-stop litany of the things in her life that were causing her current state of complete overwhelm. After Alana had exhausted her download, rather than stay with her in that state, I acknowledged how she was feeling and then asked her if she would like to shift that. A simple question of "Imagine yourself being totally on top of things, organized and in charge - how does that feel?" flipped her focus and took her to a future state, where she was in control and calm and relaxed. That had the effect of opening up possibilities for her in a situation that had seemed hopeless minutes earlier. Once in that 'toward' state, I could ask her what the biggest change might be that would keep her in that desired state. Instantly there was forward motion and the possibility for change. Be aware of the language you use with yourself and with others. Do you generally use language that focuses on what is NOT working or on what is wrong? If you do, you are miring yourself in scarcity and will stay stuck until you "Flip it".

Subtle languaging? Yes.  Impactful results? OH YES!

The FLIP IT 3 Step FORMULA

1/ Acknowledge /Identify where you are now. (no judgment, a simple identification of current state of thinking only)  

2/ If your focus is not where you want in any area of your life, FLIP YOUR THINKING. Look at your worksheet. For those areas in which you acknowledge you are focusing on the Don't Have and/or Don't Want side of the ledger, FLIP IT! Put your mind into a 'toward' state and think about the state you want. Where do you want to be? Write that in the Do Have and/or Do Want column.

3/ Put steps in place to move toward that state with the support of your coach or friends

FLIP IT! 2 simple words to move you from scarcity and stuck, to action and possibility.

*client name changed to preserve confidentiality