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Football Field Metaphor
The football field metaphor begins with comparing ourselves to a football field. The field can be empty, with nothing happening on it. All is calm. At other time, during a game, the field can be an arena bringing excitement or joy.
At other times, a team may bring a rowdy crowd to the football field. The crowd can yell abuse or get angry, but they leave, and their comments disappear. The football field remains the same. It and the people present have experienced the rowdiness yet the field does not change.
Another, more senior game is played on the field. More people attend. The crowd is loud and chaotic, but also well behaved. The atmosphere and experience changes as different crowds call different comments and judgements when supporting their teams.
Sometimes an international game occurs and the grandstands fill with more people and celebrities and there is storm of excitement.
The football field doesn’t care who is winning or losing, or what teams are playing. The field is a platform upon which the game is played. The players and crowds change while the football field remains the same.
In the same way, we are not the game played in our minds. We are the platform for the game and witness the game played in it. The players and crowds represent your thoughts and feelings and you are like the football field.
The most important aspect is that the football field does not change but the atmosphere and experience change constantly. And difficult crowds can come and go, leaving no reminder of their presence on the field.
This metaphor can be useful for active clients and those who like sports.
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