Seeing things differently

Seeing Differently: Why Metaphors Matter

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about people feeling off-balance. Not in a dramatic way — just a quiet sense that something’s out of sync. When I talk about balance, I often use the image of a car with four wheels. Each wheel stands for a part of you: Mind, Body, Soul or Spirituality, and Purpose. When all four are looked after, life moves forward smoothly. But if one’s flat or missing, the ride gets rough. You might feel stuck, lost, or like you’re veering off course.

That’s the power of metaphor. It’s not just flowery language — it’s a way of making sense of things that are hard to explain. When someone says “I’m running on fumes,” we get it. They’re not just tired — they’re drained. Or if they say “I feel like a ship without a rudder,” we understand they’re feeling directionless, maybe even a bit lost.

In coaching, metaphors help people talk about things that are hard to pin down. They make it easier to explore feelings without needing to have all the right words. A metaphor doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to feel true enough to open something up.

They also help us shift how we see things. If you think of a challenge as a mountain, it might feel overwhelming. But if you see it as a puzzle, it might feel more manageable — even interesting. The way we describe something shapes how we deal with it.

And here’s the thing: we use metaphors all the time without realising it. We talk about “grasping” ideas, “wrestling” with decisions, “building” relationships. These aren’t just figures of speech — they show how we think.

That’s why I often ask clients questions like, “If this feeling were a place, what would it look like?” or “What image comes to mind when you think about your purpose?” These kinds of questions can unlock insights that logic alone might miss.

Metaphors help us see differently. They give shape to things we can’t quite name. They don’t just decorate our thoughts — they guide them.

So next time you’re feeling stuck or unsure, try asking yourself: What’s the metaphor here? You might be surprised by what comes up.

"Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create." — Jana Kingsford