What Else Could This Be?

What Else Could This Be?

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Years ago I worked with several children’s theatre companies who conducted in classroom workshops following each performance. The kids loved this and were happy to see us up close and personal and receive individualized attention. It’s a humbling experience to see them get all excited to visit with you. Anyway, we would play games and encourage them to remember aspects of the show focusing on learning a message.

One little game we use to play was called “What else could this be?” I loved this game; because it challenged them to think independently, outside of the box, use their creativity and broaden imagination. Sometimes they would get stuck in a narrowed way of thinking and have trouble, but other times they would come up with some great answers proving that everything is important and serves more than one purpose. (I’ll never forget the little boy who took a towel and held it up to his groin showing how that could be his genitals.)

Personally, I think this is a perfect exercise for keeping things on a positive note. It is a great game to help anyone free up any road blocks, obstacles, hurdles and whatnot; anything that weighs us down and prevents us from moving forward.

Here is how What Else Can This Be? works.

Find a focal point or an object and challenge yourself to see it in a different light. Purposefully finding a new way to look at something can open up possibilities that will either attract you toward it in a new way or detract you away from and toward another varied direction. In other words, you find potentiality and/or solutions.

For example, let’s use a dish towel as our object. Ordinarily, a dish towel is seen for exactly that, a towel used in the kitchen while washing dishes. Its purpose is to help you hand dry a dish. Now, ask yourself the question, “What else could this be?” Imagine the possibilities of the dish towel. Think of this flimsy article of material as something other than what it is and/or what would it be if we did not see it specifically as a dish towel? What would your answers be? List them on a piece of paper. A dish towel could also be…what? It helps to physically demonstrate each answer to actualize the possibilities, especially if the exercise is acted out among a group of people. Here are some example ideas.

• A napkin
• A turban
• A loin cloth
• A neck tie
• A rope
• A basket
• A long flowing hair piece
• A bandanna
• A tourniquet
• A blind fold
• A lamp shade
• A scarf

How about that? That is a dozen possibilities out of one object. If we can take this exercise and utilize it as a lesson in problem solving for our own individual and unique circumstances, we could find many possibilities, ways around, out or away from a situation. There are many solutions. And, here’s the kicker, you feel better about yourself and find your way headed for accomplishment, achievement and positive feelings.

Another slightly varied idea is pretending you’re up against a brick wall. What are you going to do? Lean up against and let your body slide down it until you are sitting at its base waiting for something to happen while wallowing in self-pity and misery? Or, are you going to explore the options? What are the possibilities? Can you walk right through the wall? Can you walk around it? Can you dig underneath it? Are you strong enough to climb over it? Leap over it? Catapult over it? Can you take it down brick by brick? Can you knock a hole through it? Is there another route? Do you have a rope that you can throw over and then shimmy up the wall? Can you yell for help and see if someone is on the other side? Maybe there is a magic brick lever that opens a hidden door? How many more ideas are there when you begin to think about it? That wall suddenly is surmountable.

These exercises allow us to consider more than what seems to be the obvious. Maybe the obvious is a temporary illusion to what could be.

What is your brick wall today? What can you do to surpass it, learn from it and find a way beyond it? What can you discover to make the best and/or most of a negative situation until you can turn it around toward a confident solution?

Go ahead. Give it a try. When faced with a moment of adversity ask yourself, “What else could this be?” and see what magic unfolds!

Cheers!


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