Snowglobe – a powerful metaphor for life

One of my favourite Christmas decorations is a Snowglobe. A client and friend gave it to me.

The usual Snowglobe metaphor

This simple Christmas decoration has such a powerful metaphor for life. When we pick it up and shake it, the snow swirls around, and we cannot see the object inside clearly. This is just like our thinking when we get into a thought-storm.

We can have a weird belief that if we keep shaking, shaking, shaking, we will find the answer or perhaps get our point across. And do we in this state? No, we just get in a right ol’ mess and get exhausted. (Just shake a snow globe for one minute, and you’ll feel what I mean).

I used to think that the solution was to put it down and leave it until things were clear. I have seen that our amazing psychological system self-corrects when we stop agitating our thinking – “shaking” our snow-globe thoughts. It’s like when we leave a scab alone, our skin mends.

However, while writing this today, I suddenly realised that there is something deeper to this metaphor; a totally different dimension.

Let’s look deeper

The snowglobe represents seeing something through the snow whirling around. I’m going a bit off-piste here.

Snowflakes are beautiful. A fantastic gift created just from the combination of tiny particles and icy droplets. There is a sense of excitement when we wrap up warm, go outside and play with them. Each snowflake is unique and has the power to become part of something – a simple snowman to an enormous glacier.

There is nothing fearful about snowflakes – they are not positive or negative. When the snow starts to get storming and the wind howls, our commonsense informs us to get to shelter and wait for the storm to pass. We don’t judge the storm or try to stop it, and we may even see it in wonderment.

“When life shakes your snow globe, let the snowflakes fly!” Michael W. Taft

Snowflakes v Thoughts

Let’s explore our gift of thoughts the same way. 

• Every thought is created, and, like a snowflake, it melts once formed, and another takes its place. 

• Thoughts are neutral and unique, just like a snowflake.

• Snowflakes and winds form a snowstorm, and the whirlwind of our minds can be chaotic. However, the weather is not snow – it has snow; just as we have thoughts, we are not our thoughts.
•  If the blizzard conditions mean that we cannot see clearly, it makes sense to find shelter and wait until it passes – that seems the wisest course of action, doesn’t it!
•  And the sun is always shining!

I wish you a very content and peaceful Christmas full of love and joy. And remember, if it starts to get stormy, well, you know what makes sense.

Hi, I am Lindsey Reed.  I love connecting with people and enabling them to remember who they really are, their true selves. Coaching is online, the wonders of technology. If you would like to connect with me, pop an email to lindsey@glows-coaching.co.uk. Let’s have a conversation. I look forward to hearing from you.

My book Got It: The Answer to a Confident, Productive & Stress-Free Life is available from Amazon in over 25 countries. It describes how we create our experience of our own reality called life. Through this understanding, we can have a more confident and freeing life.