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You've likely heard of 'reframing' as it relates to mental processes and thoughts. When you reframe your negative thoughts, you work to turn, "I'm only at X stage in my career, but my friend Brad is at Y stage. What am I doing wrong?"
INTO "My life is not in competition with my friend Brad's. We've both had our ups and downs. I have accomplished A and B and C, and I am improving every day."
You work to turn, "I can't do that project. I have no experience. I'm not good enough."
INTO "I am going to try my best, do my research, and ask plenty of questions. This is a chance to expand my knowledge base and improve my professional abilities."
Writers are, for the most part, experts at reframing. We make our living playing with purpose, tone and meaning.
(Think of journalism as a loose example of this idea. The same news story will be reported five times, in five completely different ways. What changes? Almost nothing, and almost everything. The headline. The spin. The accompanying images. The snippets of quotes that make it into the final article.)
According to Wayne Dyer, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
So, what about professional reframing? Whether you're searching for ways to reposition your business, struggling to communicate effectively with clients (or employees), or hoping to change your own mindset, here are a few professional reframing examples:
1.
"We are going to have to scale back our services." INTO -> "We are focusing, at this moment, on the things that matter the most to our business."
2.
"I made a mistake, and it cost the company money. I am stupid." INTO -> "I made a mistake. It happens to everyone. Nobody thinks less of me for it, and now I get the chance to learn from it."
3.
"This [item] hasn't sold very well. I am removing it from the [shop/menu]. I feel disappointed and upset by this." INTO -> "I know more about my customer base than I did before, and I can apply that insight to the creation of exciting new [items] that are better targeted."
4.
"Anyone could do what I do. I am not special." INTO -> "I do what I do because I want to, and I do it very well. I am not the only one who can do it, and that is okay."
5.
"I got some bad feedback on this [item]. Receiving the feedback was a negative experience, and I found it upsetting." INTO -> "A customer had an issue with this [item]. I was polite, communicative and worked to resolve the issue as quickly and satisfactorily as I could. I did a good job."
By reframing a worry or stress into something productive and positive, you'll see the best in every situation, become more versatile, and reduce your fear of failure. Eventually, the productive thoughts will arrive first.
If you'd like some help with professional rewriting - or any other content requirements - please get in touch. We'd love to help.