Well, it's like the old saying- "if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."
What's a frame? That's the point of view, or the set of filters, through which you see the world.
Here's an example- Let's imagine an old-growth redwood tree. Now, look at it from the point of view of an ecologist. That tree provides shelter for birds and other animals. It's a piece of history that has watched America change for hundreds of years. It's a piece of natural art. It's very valuable right where it is, and you wouldn't cut it down at gunpoint.
Now, look at it from the point of view of a carpenter. There are many fine pieces of valuable furniture locked in that tree. You could build shelter with it. It's worth a fortune to you if you can cut it down.
It's the same tree. However, by changing the frame, it looks very different.
There's a great book called "The Power of Impossible Thinking" that addresses this.
Highly recommended.
I used to frame the world from the point of view of a blues guitar player . So, whenever I had a problem, I'd try to solve it from that point of view.
There are lots of problems I couldn't solve, because I was using the wrong frame.
Take money problems, for example. Lots of people have them, and I did, too. If your only solution to a money problem is to grab your guitar and go play in clubs, you're not going to solve your money problems.
First of all, you're trading time for money, which is pretty ineffective. Second, there just aren't enough nights in the week, at a guitar player's salary, to fund much of a life.
So, I (with a lot of help from Joe Vitale, and a few others) decided to "un-frame."
Try it.
Here's what I did. I took a detailed inventory of my skills, talents and assets.
Then I looked at my available market, and asked, "how can I combine what I've got and what I can do to
create something that the market will buy?"
That's actually a magic question.
In my case, I had some musical equipment and some recording gear. I did some quick research into subliminal affirmations and binaural beats, and The Milagro Research Institute was born.
In the month of December, 2005, we sold... well, it was about twice my annual income in my best year playing guitar.
Then, I discovered that I could take my recording gear on the road and record interview.
Well, the possibilities were just endless!
I wrote a course on influence and persuasion, and put it online.
If I had kept my old frame, none of those products would have been created- and I would probably be homeless.
About now, you should be asking yourself some questions.
"What frame am I using to look at the world?"
"What would the world look like without that frame?"
"How can I combine what I've got and what I can do to create something that the market will buy?"
