I’ve always thought that the interpretation of ‘a box of chocolates’ was weird.

Forrest Gump, or rather his mother, gave him that advice to explain that life is unpredictable, that ‘you never know what you’re gonna get’.

But if it was a box of chocolates, I would think that you DO know what you’re going to get. You’re getting chocolates – and you get to pick and choose which one you like best.

They may come in all shapes and sizes, with different nuts and flavours – but the fun part is that you get to choose which one you like.

If you ask someone what is your metaphor for life, the answer you get can tell you a lot about the person.

What is your metaphor for life?

I know a person who believes that ‘life is a never-ending battle’.

It is a battle where you have to take arms, protect the ones you love and fight gloriously for what you believe in.

And just like his metaphor, this person never catches a break. At any point in time, he sees himself as either winning or losing.

That ‘kill-or-be-killed’ mentality to life has brought him much success in business, but like war, it comes at a great cost.

He’s constantly worn out and stressed from ‘fighting battles’ in his life, to the point where he would sacrifice his own health to ‘do what must be done’.

And no matter how far he gets, he’s never satisfied because there’s always an enemy to defeat or new lands to conquer.

Another person I know believes that ‘life is a giant classroom’.

This person really believes she’s enrolled in the ‘school of life’. Even though she’s 60, she is led by her curiosity – with her mind constantly occupied with learning.

Because life is a classroom, she believes that every person she comes into contact with is a teacher if she’s open to listening and learning from them.

Also, she believes that because life is a classroom, you should be willing to ask questions and make mistakes, and never take them personally.

I found that empowering.

But the most interesting life metaphor I’ve heard so far is from a student, who believes life is like sand.

When I asked her what she meant by that, she told me: ‘Like sand on the beach, you can create anything you want in life with your imagination. You can create castles or you can create pits. Sand represents possibility.’

‘But sand also represents the impermanence in life. You can build the most glorious sandcastle one day, but return next week and your castle could have been swept away by the sea, eroded by the wind, occupied by crabs or completely destroyed by someone else.’

‘Like sand in an hourglass, your time in life is limited. So use whatever time you have in life to make your dreams into reality!’

Of all the life metaphors I’ve heard, I really like this one.

Metaphors are incredibly powerful because they help us make sense of abstract or complex information.

By using a metaphor to describe a concept or problem, you can make it simple to understand. 

When you use a metaphor, you help other people enter your world and see things from your point of view. 

It’s a great way to communicate your innermost thoughts and feelings when you have difficulty finding the words to describe them.

More importantly, the metaphor you use to describe your life can powerfully influence your experience of life. 

I’m certain that just by reading the interpretations of life from three different people – life is a battle, life is a classroom and life is like sand – you can imagine these three individuals in your mind and get a sense of who they are without even meeting them.

And you can even make accurate reads on their personality, values and worldview as well!

Also, understand that it’s not just the metaphors you choose but also your interpretation of them.

Person A believes life is like a rollercoaster, because she’s experienced the most blissful highs and the most despairing lows, but is grateful that she has come out safe and wise at the end.

Person B also believes life is like a rollercoaster because he enjoys rollercoasters and you should just enjoy the thrill of the ride, no matter how scary, intense or unpredictable it can be.

Questions To Help You Redefine Your Life By Changing Your Metaphors

So the thought experiment for today is to think about: what is your metaphor for life?

Why did you choose that metaphor? And how does your experience of life reflect the metaphor you chose?

Is your metaphor a positive or negative one? Is it empowering or disempowering?

If your metaphor is outdated, vague or is disempowering… could you choose a better one?

What metaphor of life could you choose to help you create an experience of life that would be the most fulfilling?

I’ve had coachees completely rethink their entire worldview simply by changing their metaphor of life.

And don’t stop there… think about: what metaphor you would use to describe yourself?

What are specific metaphors for specific areas of your life (e.g. personal growth, career, relationships, etc.)

Remember: change your metaphor, change your life.