But in the last two or three months, I've gradually become aware of two metaphors that I use in the way that Ze describes. They are the Marathon metaphor and the Rule Book metaphor. Their names are kind of self-explanatory. The Marathon, I've already sort of described it in my video about Barcelona. I've been meaning to write a bit about the Rule Book, but it's essentially the idea that there is no rule book.
These ideas are pretty intertwined, and I haven't even spent enough time thinking about them to be able to explain them in depth. But they are pretty self-explanatory (I think) and, since they are metaphors, the best way to describe them is through the vehicle of their metaphor.
These metaphors, though, while I've only had names for them for a few months, have been around for a while. How many times have you heard someone say, "it's a marathon not a sprint."And how often do people mention the lack of a rule book/it's okay if it's not perfect when someone is torn over how to do something, or the possibility of doing something wrong.
And when I think about it, these metaphors have been present in my life, and I've been more or less aware of their ideas for at least the last three years. I used them/felt bad for not using them/forgot them/remembered them when I started trying to change my attitude and approach to school.
But then in Spain they came back to mind. These have helped me remember that it's not about perfection. They're the things I used to help me put things back into perspective. Things that helped me calm down when I felt to pressured to get everything right.
In New Zealand they're helping immensely, because I've arrived and my plans have promptly changed again and again and again, and with the usual challanges of coming to a new place, I've been needing to remind myself of them a lot.
What sort of metaphors do you use? What is your motto, your theme song? What ideas keep you grounded?
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