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Title Notes by Frumi Rachel Barr

The Art of Possibility

Book summary by Frumi

Title: The Art of Possibility Authors: Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander Publisher: Harvard Business School Press Copyright year: 2000 Library of Congress or ISBN: 0-87584-770-6 Author bio and credits: Rosamund Stone Zander is a family therapist and a landscape painter. Benjamin Zander is the conductor ofthe Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor at the New England Conservatory of Music. Noteworthy info regarding contents and chapter titles: The Art of Possibility offers a set of breakthrough practices for creativity in all human enterprises. Infused with the energy of their dynamic partnership, the book joins together Ben's extraordinary talent as a mover and shaker, teacher, andcommunicator and Rosamund's genius for creating innovative paradigms for personal and professional fulfillment. Through a series of practices and supporting stories from their life experiences, the authors provide us with a deep sense of the powerful role that the notion of possibility can play in every aspect of our lives. Author's main point (what will you remember about this book?) The practicespresented in this book are not about making incremental changes that lead to new ways of doing things based on old beliefs, and they are not about self-improvement. They are geared instead toward causing a total shift of posture, perceptions, beliefs and though processes. They are about transforming your

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entire world. Each practice has its own catchphrase. Once you are in the habit of usingthem, the practices will reliably land you "back in the boat", reoriented in a universe of possibility. A few supporting ideas (ideas which support the main point): #1 "It's all invented anyway". We might as well invent a story or framework of meaning that enhances our quality of life and the life of those around us. The framework our minds create define and confine what we perceive to be possible.Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data, and problems vanish, while new opportunities appear. Ask: What assumption am I making, that I'm not aware I'm making, that gives me what I see? What might I now invent, that I haven't yetinvented, that would give me other choices?

beyond the world of measurement to include all worlds: infinite, generative, and abundant. In the measurement world you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibilities, you set the context and let life unfold. Ask: How are my thoughts and actions, in this moment, reflections of the measurement world? And how now?

#2 Stepping into a universeof possibility. A universe of possibility stretches

#3 Giving an "A". This practice transports your relationships from the world of

measurement to the world of possibilities. You speak to people 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 in to. The freely granted A expresses a vision ofpartnership, teamwork, and relationship. The practice of giving an A both invents and recognizes a universal desire in people to contribute to others, no matter how many barriers there are to its expression.

#4 Being a contribution. Unlike success and failure, contribution has no other side.

How will I be a contribution today? In the game of contribution you wake up each day and bask in the notion thatyou are a gift to others. Declare yourself to be a contribution. Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why. Rewards in the contribution game are of a deep and rewarding kind.

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quietly on the edge of any chair, listening passionately and with commitment, fully prepared to take the baton.

#5 Leading from any chair. A...