How to use ‘possibility thinking’ | Psyche Guides

(1) thinking ahead, or viewing the situation as just one moment on a larger, longer timeline and being able to identify it as just one point to get past in order to reach a better future point; (2) being specific and setting specific goals, or defining your end point as discretely as possible and pooling your attentional resources as specifically a

The point is to try and step outside of your existing framework for thinking about how you approach (some set of) things, and to perceive how your past experience and existing worldview influences your expectations of how things will go, and how those expectations would then influence the outcome. It can be helpful to do thought experiments where y

Understanding the development of possibility beliefs can help us better understand how we come to believe it is possible to do something we have never experienced before. Where do new ideas about possibility come from? Why do we think it is possible to learn a new skill, pursue a career change, push the limits of performance in sports, write the gr

Becoming aware of what is possible and comparatively assessing various possibilities goes beyond cognitive – or, for that matter, neurological – processes. The possible is not merely a mental representation or way of processing information; it involves the entire being and it especially has a strong motivational and emotional dynamic.

what can you do to augment your perspective? This is where thought experiments come in handy.

possibility beliefs , for the purposes of this paper, are simply beliefs about our actions and their limits; they help us enumerate options and carve out pathways for action.

Our earliest ability to think about the possible is in place well before we have a concept of who we are, what we value, and what talents, abilities, or potential we bring to bear in the service of our bigger plans and goals. From the start of life, assessments of what is possible are instrumental in guiding actions and decisions; they tell us whet

Why not embrace an attitude of vision and of possibility? Instead of listening to the “You can’t” or the “You won’t,” why not go with the “What if?” and the “How about?” …? Drop the limitations.