Do You Believe What You Say?
- By: Ed Peters
- Oct 20, 2019
We like to use some phrases and images all the time, because they sound wise and authoritative. One such phrase that I really dislike is: "It is what it is!"
It has become very popular in conversation and in the media, and means that things have to be accepted. But do these phrases really carry any authority, do we have to accept that things are as they are?
We seem to throw out homely wisdom as if saying the words were enough , as if they were some kind of magic incantation. Once you've said it, no-one can disagree because you have summoned up this traditional idea that no-one is supposed to question.
The thing is - if we just use phrases, metaphors and images without intention, we are using them to block out thinking, reduce our options and stifle our imagination.
In NLP, a coach might choose to challenge this by saying: "how do you know this?"
"It is what it is" just means "it is as I choose to interpret it at the moment", "it is as my limitations dictate", "it is as far as I'm prepared to consider", "it is because I won't think of changing it"....
Let's test our beliefs and assumptions, and see what possibilities open up.