The Art of Possibility Chapter 1-4 MAC Wk2
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The book, The Art of Possibility by Zander & Zander, offers a new perspective on how to view the reality. Broken into a series of practices defined separately by chapter, the married couple of Rosamund Stone Zander, a therapist and Benjamin Zander, a conductor and teacher, provide their unique way of viewing the world.
They believe our view of the world is made up of the stories we tell ourselves about what is true and if we change that story we can change our lives. Practice one is to realize that our perceptions are an invention. We construct meaning out of our experiences. Practice two: Step into the world of possibilities. Since it is all invented you must ask:
What assumptions am I making, that I’m not aware I’m making, that give me
what I see?
What might I now invent, that I haven’t yet invented, that would give me other
choices?
Practice three: Giving an A. By giving yourself and others and A you can see the potential. “This A in not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into” (p. 26). This will change the way you deal with others and yourself. If you reduce the judgment you will have more possibilities.
Practice four: Being a contribution. If you think of yourself as a contribution you will not have the same perspective of success and failure.
I read along while listening to the Zanders in the audio version of the book. I found this much more rich. You could hear their voices and inflections and they included music in the transitions and some background. I find the Zanders point of very positive and useful perspective. It is more impressive because they have person success. I have an MS in Counseling, Child and School Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy that leads me to take a particular interest in the psychology of success. They use a positive approach that can be easily followed. Often changing our viewpoint can change our anxiety levels and our outcomes. I am enjoying the many examples they use to illustrate their points. I too believe that trying to meet teacher expectations can negatively influence our performance. In the EMDT program I found it refreshing and easier to do better when given positive feedback on work. It made me want to do better not just do the basics to get the grade. For the TMD course, Michelle always gave positive feedback. I have always received high grades in school but getting positive comments made me feel differently. Yes, an A+ can be seen as positive but it was much different getting direct feedback. She was the most positive instructor I have had in my decades of taking classes and it really mattered. I felt more motivated to do a good job. It did not surprise me that she was she had successfully won competitions while in the US Army training soldiers for combat. She makes you want to work for her. Similarly, I thought immediately when I viewed Benjamin Zanders TED lecture that he would be a great teacher. They say it is not the expertise of the teacher but their level of enthusiasm for the subject matter that makes students learn. After viewing Zander’s lecture it is fascinating reading his philosophies.
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