Reframe it

In the recent run-up to back-to-school a friend posted on Facebook what she called a "mom fail." While her child was away at summer camp this mom had held a garage sale and inadvertently sold the child's assigned summer reading books (which, she admitted, her child had clearly explained to mom would be read after camp ended). All of the comments on the post expressed solidarity and support. (I laughed out loud remembering my many mom fails!) We've all been there. But one Facebook friend offered a brilliant second thought: "Reframe that as a garage sale win!"

Reframing can be helpful in many cases, and goes beyond a chirpy "look on the bright side" perspective. In an early chapter in The Squiggly Career, Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis write about identifying your super strengths, also known as how "you add value to an organization" (p.23). In the helpful workbook-like format of this book, Tupper and Ellis ask the reader to jot down weaknesses. This is an easy task for most us since we're often our own worst critic. Why do this? "Within each of our weaknesses we can discover an opposing strength" (p. 28). A great example: if a weakness of yours is "presenting," chances are you are great at "listening." Of course, there are not always polar opposites to every weakness, and sometimes we are good at both "presenting" and "listening." You see the point: reframing a "weakness" helps you assess your super strengths and navigate your job search.

I'm not suggesting we reframe everything. I don't love sayings like "rejection is just redirection" because I don't ever want to shut down feelings, and something like rejection hurts. But reframing is similar to thinking again. Stepping back a moment to look at what our weaknesses are may help us find those super strengths that will lead to a job that provides meaning and purpose to our lives.