How did you get that far?

Regular readers of the blog and my website will know how much I love solution-focused thinking. And I was reminded of this love last week, when I met up with a friend who is choosing her next life path – exciting times! She uses SFT too, and had the lovely task of choosing her next ‘future perfect’. Therefore, this week, I want to focus on an aspect of SFT that is really easy to use in everyday life: the scale (sounds a bit like a Phillip Schofield ITV game show!).

The Scale is a way of helping yourself reflect on strengths and coping strategies, and can help identify personal goals and steps towards achieving them. The chosen number on the scale is not important in itself – it just helps to realise more about a situation. The important thing about scaling is that it really helps to explore perceptions rather than reality.

Have a quick go by thinking of an example of something in your life that you would like to be better. This can be something outside of work, perhaps a hobby or a skill. Go through these points in order:

• On a scale of 1 – 10, where 10 is the best things could ever be and 1 is the opposite to that, where would you put things today?
• So, you’re at n now. How did you get that far?
• What would half a point higher look like?
• How would you know if you got to n+1?
• Where would someone else rate you on this scale? How would this person know when you got one point higher up the scale?
• What do you know that will help you get higher up the scale?
• On a scale of 1-10, what is your commitment to taking that step?
• What are you most pleased about your efforts so far?
• What will be the first signs that things are getting better?

If you go through these questions and are really honest in your answers, you’ll be confirming your progress, encouraging more change, focusing on how you would like things to be, and helping yourself to decide on next steps. Handy, eh?!