Looking sideways

Back in June 2014 I wrote in my diary that the sunrise this morning was a blaze of billowing red, but I had needed to look sideways to see it. How often we concentrate on the view ahead and miss something extra special when we don’t look sideways. This, of course, is another form of broadening our view and is also a metaphor for lateral thinking.

Being enriched in the shades of grey

Black and white thinking is so limiting. It excludes allowing us to be enriched in the shades of grey, a place of no easy answers, but a place that is also less likely to result in simplistic solutions to complex problems – simplistic solutions that lead to many unexpected consequences and thus more problems.

Finding alternate ways of doing things

There is usually never only one right way to do something. Rather there are more likely to be many ways, and some may be more effective than others. If we stick to only one way (because it has worked) we may miss a better or easier way, because we have neglected to look sideways. Looking sideways may also result in us learning something new.

Seeing danger coming

If we don’t look sideways we may miss the approach of something dangerous. Remember the childhood mantra of look to the right and look to the left before we cross the road? Looking sideways can give us the chance to evade or prepare for the approach of something we need to protect ourselves from.

Finding unexpected delights and pleasures

Just as I would have missed a beautiful sunrise if I had not looked sideways, so we can pass by other enriching experiences without knowing, unless we keep gazing around to the sides as we travel our life journeys.

Counselling is often about helping others to look sideways

Many counselling theories and techniques have the ultimate goal of helping clients to see things from new perspectives. For instance Narrative Therapy is based on seeking alternate strength based stories, Solution Focused Therapy looks for exceptions and CBT seeks to change unhelpful thinking patterns into those which are more helpful. These are all forms of looking sideways.

Remember: If we spend all our time focused on the horizon, we may miss treasures that the waves carry to the shore. Rachael Magowan (www.rachaelmagowan.com)