In another post on seeing possibilities, I mentioned one of the practices from Ben and Rosamund Zander’s book, The Art of Possibility(paid link); the practice of “Giving an A.” There are 12 practices in the book, each of which brings a huge shift in perspective. So, I thought I would share a summary of these practices so you can see the big picture. But first, let’s talk about the premise.

“Each of us has a framework of assumptions that we carry with us. Transformation happens less by arguing cogently for something new than by generating active, ongoing practices that shift a culture’ s experience of the basis for reality.”

Through an examination of your framework of assumptions, you can imagine and create a framework that works best for you and the world around you. You can take actions that are best for all.

1. It’s All Invented

This framework of assumptions is a story we tell ourselves about the way we’re “supposed to live,” and it’s all invented. This is such an important learning. Nothing has to be the way it is. Once we shift the framework or change our assumptions, new possibilities open up. This is similar to one of Steve Jobs secrets of life.

“Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that are no smarter than you. And, you can change it.“ ~ Steve Jobs

How is this story created? Through our experiences of life. We first receive selective information from the senses. This is perception. Then, our brains construct conceptions of these sensations and we have a conscious experience. The Zanders say that we perceive only what we’re programmed to receive and we recognize only those ones where we have mental maps or categories. Limited frames for sure. All of our problems seem intractable within the frame. Once we change the frame and our assumptions, problems disappear and new possibilities arise.

2. Step into a Universe of Possibility

We live in a world of measurement – goals, deadlines, money, resources, time, etc. This world is necessary in order to get things done but it tends to be about scarcity and survival – winning vs losing, success vs failure. There is another world that exists alongside this world of measurement and that world is abundant. It’s there for all of us. Once we realize that this world is invented we can step out of the world of measurement and into a universe of possibility.

“In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold.” ~ The Art of Possibility

This world of measurement makes us feel secure. So, how do we step out? By practicing generosity, inclusiveness, and full engagement with life. Relationships become all important. By using our imaginations and creating new ideas. We surrender control of the outcome and take risks.

3. Giving an A

Giving grades is a measurement tool for comparing students with one another. Giving an A ahead of time assumes that everyone truly wants to contribute in their own way. To me, this is what a true teacher does, facilitate the growth of another and offer the faith that they will flourish. By giving an A, you recognize that the A is invented. Instead, you see the perfection within imperfection, like a sculptor envisions the finished piece in a piece of stone.

“When you give an A, you find yourself speaking to people not from a place of measuring how they stack up against your standards, but from a place of respect that gives them room to realize themselves. This A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into. Giving an A radiates possibility.” ~ The Art of Possibility

I wrote about this practice in more detail in a previous post, Giving Space for Possibilities.

4. Being a Contribution

Instead of the game of success or failure, Ben Zander created a game called “How will I be a contribution today?” With this game, there are no winners or losers, and no better places to be. We wake up each day being fully ourselves and offering what we can to the world. We are enough. This assumes that everyone has something g to contribute to this life.

“Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.” ~ The Art of Possibility

You may not be able to see the results or outcome of your contributions, but you act anyways in the faith that there is a ripple effect. You are making a difference.

5. Lead from any Chair

As leader of an orchestra, Ben Zander realized that he never made a sound. So, instead of asking himself how good he was as a conductor, he asked what makes a group lively and engaged?  The leader’s job is to focus on each person’s passion and desire to contribute and to help bring that to life. In other words, he leads with humility.

“How can a leader know how well he is fulfilling his intention? He can look in the eyes of the players and prepare to ask himself, “Who am I being that hey are not shining?”

A true leader realizes how important each person is to the whole and let’s them lead in their own way.

6. Don’t Take Yourself so Seriously

Zander calls this Rule Number 6 and it’s the only rule there is. We take ourselves seriously if we are living in a world of measurement. Zander calls this the calculating self, concerned for its own survival. By lightening up, we peel away the calculating self we’ve built up to reveal our central self. This gives others permission to lighten up too.

“When we follow rule number 6 and lighten up over our childish demands and entitlements, we are instantly transported into a remarkable universe. This new universe is cooperative in nature, and pulls for the realization of all our cooperative desires.”

How to do this? Learn to lighten up and laugh at yourself and the mistakes that inevitably happen.

7. The Way Things Are

Much of life is spent resisting life as it is – a waste of energy for sure. This is the principle of being present to the way things are, including your feelings about it, yet not resigning yourself to it. By being present, you’re better able to clarify the next step to take. Ask yourself, “What is here now?” “What else is here now?” Distinguish between assumptions, feelings, and facts. Then ask “What do we want to do from here?”

“Radiating possibility begins with things as they are and highlights open spaces, the pathways leading out from here.” ~ The Art of Possibility

Presence without resistance creates possibility. When we’re focused on how wrong things are, that they should be different, we live in a state of helplessness. We live in a state of escape, denial, and blame – a downward spiral, which limits possibilities.

8. Giving Way to Passion

The fundamental nature of the universe is to create. The same goes for you. So often, we hold back – in how we present ourselves, our ideas, our art. We’re afraid of being laughed at or seen as too much. This practice allows us to surrender to our passions, the things that make us who we are.

“The first step is to notice where you are holding back, and let go. The second step is to participate wholly.“ ~ The Art of Possibility

Have you ever noticed that when you throw yourself into something, opportunities sometimes come out of the blue? This is a signal that you’re doing what you’re meant to do, something that’s needed in the world right now.

9. Lighting a Spark

The Zanders call this practice enrollment. It is the life force at work. How do we interact with others in such a way that we light a spark in them?

“Enrolling is not about forcing, cajoling, tricking, bargaining, pressuring, or guilt-tripping someone into doing something your way. Enrollment is the art and practice of generating a spark of possibility for others to share.” ~ The Art of Possibility

Letting your passion rule, rather than fear, will ignite the spark. When you get a no, realize that maybe you have to come at it differently. Your passion is to coming through enough to get that enrollment.

10. Being the Board

This was one of my favorite practices, and one of the most challenging. Zander calls it the graduate course in possibility.

“When the way things are seems to offer no possibility; when you are angry and blocked, and, for all your efforts, others refuse to move or cooperate, to compromise, or even to be halfway decent; when even enrollment does not work and you are at your wit’s end – you can be the board, that is, the board on which the whole game is being played.” ~ The Art of Possibility

This is a hard one. It’s about owning whatever happens to us and acting from that stance. You are the framework for everything that happens in your life. It’s not about blaming ourselves. It’s not about fairness. It’s about making a difference and facilitating change. It’s about taking control by realizing that you have a choice as to how to respond to whatever happens. You are not a player in the game of life, you are the board itself. This is a chapter you just have to read for yourself!

11. Creating Frameworks for Possibility

When Martin Luther King Jr gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, he was creating a framework for possibility. He stood confidently there despite the obstacles and huge risks involved.

“The practice of framing possibility calls upon us to use our minds in a manner that is counterintuitive: to think in terms of the contexts that govern us rather than the evidence we see before our eyes. We restructure meanings, create visions, and establish environments where possibility is spoken, breaking the pull of the downward spiral.” ~ The Art of Possibility

How to do it. First, offer a new vision. Then, embody it. Keep distinguishing what is on and off track for the new vision.

12. Telling the WE Story

So many of our stories revolve around ourselves – how we were impacted. The WE story acknowledges that life is a constant dance of relationship.

“The We appears when, for the moment, we set aside the story of fear, competition, and struggle, and tell its story. It points to relationship rather than to individuals, to communication patterns, gestures, and movement rather than to discrete objects and identities. It attests to the in-between.” ~ The Art of Possibility

What is best for all of us? That’s the story we need to tell. When we set aside revenge, greed, pride, fear, and righteousness, we can come together to create possibility. There is no better example of this than Nelson Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. As Mandela himself said, “it helped us move away from the past and to concentrate on the present and the future.”

Which of these struck a chord with you? How will you wake up to new possibilities today?