Believe in Possibility
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” Shunryu Suzuki
Many times in my missives I’ve stressed the importance of paying attention, of always keeping your mind open to new ideas and new possibilities. I have encouraged you to stay alert to what…and who…is going on around you. Now, for a change, I’m going to be quiet (well, sort of…those who know me know how difficult this can be for me) and let others impart their wisdom on these truths.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Albert Einstein.
Einstein knew a thing or two about knowledge, yet here he is telling us there is much more freedom and possibility in throwing away your blinders, expanding your focus, and looking beyond what you think you know. Who knows what secret of the universe you’ll uncover if you let your imagination run free!
For most of us, as we accumulate more and more knowledge and expertise, the blinders become harder and harder to see around. The universe and its possibilities contract.
“Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.” Cher
Looking foolish is a hard thing to do. And yet, many of the people who created the world of today looked foolish…at first. Horseless carriages for everyone? A toy for the wealthy. A powerful computer in your pocket? A fantasy. Those who can imagine things that don’t exist often look foolish. It takes a strong person with a clear guiding vision to buck the trend and keep going when the world is laughing at you.
Being blinded to possibility by expert knowledge coupled with fear of looking foolish has led many organizations right over the cliff into irrelevance and failure.
The world is changing rapidly. Success depends not on staying current but on being at the forefront of what is coming. Success comes from always looking at things and opening your mind to the possibilities of how they could be better, how this problem can be solved, how that impediment can be removed. It comes from keeping your mind agile and being willing to question everything.
“I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities.” Whoopi Goldberg
Believe in all possibilities. Some will work out and some won’t. But for any to work out you have to believe in them and act on that belief. And keep trying.
“I dream of things that never were and say ‘why not?’” George Bernard Shaw
The possibilities in front of you, surrounding you, are endless. Some fade away as the world moves forward while new possibilities appear. There are always plenty of possibilities to investigate. How many do you reach out for? Or do you keep your head down and ignore them all?
“Whether you believe you can or not, you’re right.” Henry Ford