How To Flip It And Win
There you are all tied up in knots.
Not sure if you’re coming or going.
Can’t see where you’ve been, let alone where you are headed.
Going around in circles making yourself dizzy trying to find a way out of your current mess.
Your whole world is upside down.
Nothing is going right. Whichever way you turn you turn into more problems.
Still, don’t lose your head. Have faith. Here’s a solution that will have you back on your feet again real soon. Feeling less gymnastic and more fantastic.
Flip it!
The flip it approach is simply to take any given concern and flip it to look at the other side of it. It’s a 3D problem solving tool compared to the 2D one you currently use whereby, if you stare at a difficulty long enough, kappow, a golden answer will appear by magic. Er, no.
Flip it turns it 360. Looks at it from the polar opposite perspective. The ‘what’s on the flip side this to this’ thinking.
And the good news is it’s so easy. Let me show you.
Say you have ongoing money worries?
Your typical thought pattern might be, “Why do I always seem to have no money?”
Fair enough, but quite defeating if you re-read that statement. Do that again for me.
What words stand out?
Did you spot; ‘always’, ‘seem’ and ‘no’?
Time to flip it and change those words, thus changing the whole belief system.So, try one of these statements instead. Pick one that works best for you or speaks to you stronger.
‘”Why do I sometimes have a money shortage?” or, “How can I begin to earn and save more financially?”
A fresh effect is formed. Less debilitating and with no sense of powerlessness. It empowers you to find and discover and injects more belief into your thoughts and actions. As I mentioned, a whole new belief system. It’s just how you approach it. Flip the angle you look at it. Alter the words and terminology. Bingo, you take control!
“Why is everyone in a relationship and not me?”, becomes,
“What relationships have I not allowed myself to have?”, or, “What ways can I develop relationships to be as happy as everyone else?”, even, “What relationships are making me happy?”, thus starting with recognising your current ability to form and deserve loving realtions with others.
As a bit of preperation ready for your own ful-flip-ment have a go at these and re-jig them to a more positive and actionable position:
“What am I going to do in my job, I hate this one and have no prospects?”,
“I wish my boyfriend/girlfriend was more affectionate.”,
“I really want to move house but I just can’t afford it”,
“My family just take me for granted. They never appreciate me or consider what I want”,
Okay, yes, they’re probably not preparation or homework but some of your actual issues that plague you. But best to start you flipping them whilst you are in the mindset from this post. You may not find the perfect response immediately as you have been stuck for a while.
It will, however, commence a noticeable shift one chunk at a time towards breaking free, out or away from niggles that have held you back. Cracking those tough times once and for all. That shift leads to the momentum that results in lasting improvement. Ruling your own world. Deciding for yourself. Thinking, talking and acting with greater self-assurance. Winning at life. Winning in your life.
The upshots, spin-offs and side effects can be huge as the famous German writer, Geothe, quite rightly saw,
The moment one commits onself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occured…..unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
My uncle was a lucky old soul. To me, among other reasons, was everytime he encountered a tough scenario or bothersome episode that would stop others in their tracks, he simply said, “Ah, flip it”, and went off an did something else instead.
So, if you want to succeed, be happy and break the bad spell around you then flip it. And if you really, really get stuck and are so frustrated you’ve had enough, grab a coin. Make a choice; heads you do one thing, tails the other. Then, what do you do next to get your simple answer? Yep, Flip it!!!!!
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Hi John,
That graphic is pretty freaky!
You’re absolutely right that we can get stuck in the same old groove when we talk to ourselves – we need to flip what we say around so that it’s actually more problem-solving and positive than negative. It gets us to think (or rethink) in a new way.
Karen
Oh yes Karen, deliberately so. I wanted to capture how tied up we get…works doesn’t it? I love to flip and often write down what’s bothering me and flip it all over the place. You’d be amazed where I end up…but never like in the picture!
hello john,
how are you?
i agree with karen on the picture lol!!!
but on a serious you’ve highlighted important principles that would affect /create a positive approach to life.
please look at for my email.
enjoy the rest of the day
forgive my errors. it should be on a serious note…..
& please look out for my email.
thanks
Thank you Ayo, took ages to get the young lady in the right pose for the photo. Apparently the hospital food is quite good she says. Flipping things in life is considerably less painful.
John, this flipping thing is so true. It works on so many levels. It’s funny. As a director, I remember working with actors on a scene and we’d take the emotion of the scene and flip it, to give it some sparkle. Like playing a funeral scene giddy. It come off as quite a genuine twist. Anyway, attitude changes, mind shifts, back flips, they all work out the kinks.
It’s flipping great don’t you think Katie? I like working out kinks but back flips less so. I think I’ll stick to flipping pancakes instead!
John: What a great concept? I have always found that we can always get in a better place with any issue or challenge when we simply look at it from a different perspective. It really allows us to approach things in a way that is more positive and solution oriented instead of just getting caught up in an initial reaction to something that may be negative. Great post and recommendation.
Thank you kindly Sibyl. I have flipped the situation many times to prevent me flipping my lid instead. It’s a bit like looking at life from a handstand – it looks silly and funny and changes your whole perspective.
Love this John- and such a fabulous strategy for not getting bogged down in the negatives. You know I think children are much better flippers than adults. Maybe we can take a leaf out of their proverbial books.
I asked the question about where you live (in the forum) because I went to school with a John Sherry in Scotland!
I am a born Southern softie I’m afraid Maria but how weird is that? Two John Sherry’s…Yee Gods!! And kids are master flippers, though normally to get the most fun out of a situation or not to take the blame when a game went wrong when mud somehow got all over Mum’s washing on the line. We adults just need to flip it to see the other side….a better, fab filled side.
I have never called it flipping before but that is exactly what looking at something from a different perspective is, especially if you use questions to help you turn around your thinking.
Great inspiration – thank you
Going on say, “Flip it”, Marion and make a 360 discovery. You will be surprised at what you unearth!!
John, have you read Michael Heppell’s book ‘Flip It’?
A good read and pretty much affirms what you have said. I’m gonna stick with calling it reframing because I’m a head up my ass NLPer, but as long as people do it, who cares?
Hi Tim, welcome along. I have recently come across it and noticed it as my uncle always used the phrase. It’s gone out of fashion but all things retro are in so ‘flip it’ I’m going to bring it back. Up your ass is fine, talking out of your but not so good!