“I HAVE RIVERS BUT NO WATER; FORESTS BUT NO TREES; CITIES BUT NO BUILDINGS. WHAT AM I?”

The answer is a map!! Maps show rivers, forests and cities, but they don’t contain any water, trees or buildings.

I love this riddle as it provides a great metaphor for how we perceive and engage with the world and everyone and everything we come into contact with.

“The map is not the territory” is used by coaches and psychologists to convey the fact that people often confuse what they believe (their map) with reality itself (the territory).

Everyone looks at the world, or the territory, through their own map – a map built on their values and beliefs. A map unique to them. No two maps are the same.

The science says that all information must enter through our minds. The brain uses our values and beliefs as a filter system to influence how we perceive the world around us. Values provide direction in our lives. We move towards things we value and away from things we don’t. We pay attention to those things that we feel are important and ignore those things we don’t.

Our lives are so full of information that unless we’re selective, we will quickly be overwhelmed. To prevent this overload, we tend to pay most attention to the things we value and ignore the rest. For this reason, each and every one of us has a unique model of reality (our map). Our worlds are all different because we pay most attention to those things that align with our values.

For example, someone with a map that is made up of values and beliefs including ‘drinking alcohol is a fun way to relax and makes them happy’ might look at a glass of wine, the territory, as something that will take all their problems away. Another person’s map comprising values and beliefs that ‘alcohol consumption is unhealthy and can lead to major health problems’, will look at the same glass of wine in a very different way.

This is really powerful stuff and is at the heart of the secret to stopping drinking and going alcohol-free. By changing your values and beliefs you can change your story, your world and the direction of your life.

As a coach I help people unravel their maps, and find the treasures they seek, and understand that their futures have not yet been written.

Walking Back To Happiness: The Secret To Alcohol-Free Living & Well-Being shows you how I changed my story and found happiness and well-being and how you can to. Packed with over 70 exercises or steps you can take to improve your well-being and happiness, it’s a blueprint of how to live your best life! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nigel-Jones/e/B0B7RP6LH6/

Please contact me if you would like to find out more about life coaching.

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