Clean Transformations

A young student I usually see in a sporting context is part way through his 'scholarship' year, and is falling victim to the usual pressures...."because I want to go to X school and/or Y school I really need to get good marks in these scholarship exams." Really need is a euphemism here for must and the stress, pressure and tension associated with all academic activity, revision etc etc is already building and affecting his natural persona.

I spent a few minutes recently and drew a time line for him as he "walked towards his future" goals of being at the School of his choice. This was a big, clear bold colour picture of his goal. I then asked him about the nature of any barriers along the way. He described the scholarship exams as being the barrier.

PW> And is there anything about this barrier?
Cl> It's like a big, brick wall
PW> And is there anything else about this big, brick wall?
Cl> It fills my entire pathway and is very thick
We identified where the wall was in relation to his goal picture and he then said that as he got nearer to the wall, he lost sight of the goal picture.

I then posed him some questions using Clean Language.
PW> What resources do you need to nail down these scholarship exams?
Cl> Perseverance.
PW> And do you need anything else with perseverance?
Cl> No just perseverance
PW> (slowly) And is there anything about perseverance?
Cl> Its like an albatross hanging round my neck, big and heavy

With the metaphor revealed by him so early in the conversation, I chose to open up what the albatross was doing for him.
PW> And with the albatross, is there anything else about big and heavy and round the neck?
Cl> Yes its dragging me down .... and as I get towards the wall I can't see over or anything - just wall.
PW> And by the wall and in order to see over to the goal, what has to happen to albatross?
Cl> (with a wry smile) It needs to be anywhere but round my neck
PW> And can albatross be anywhere else?
Cl> Yes, I don't need it

At that moment he knew that perseverance was not the resource he needed as it was weighing him down as he walked towards his goal and approached the exams. So having asked him what other resource might be more appropriate he chose courage. We investigated courage in terms of the "wall" and it was clear that with courage he could not only see over the wall at all times (ie it was in proper perspective) but also it was a resource to use to smash through the wall. It transpired that taking courage as a resource would provide some other associated resources as well.

With tongue in cheek I told him later that when I was at school I knew a lad called Albert Ross who used to get really hung up on exams. "Really?" he said - and then the penny dropped.

PW