I am an avid reader and reading the Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, right now.  I have only finished the second chapter but the book has been incredibly enlightening and powerful.

The first pages are concerned with the fact that everything we have is made up or as the book says “invented”! Think on this for a moment…

What assumptions am I making,
That I am not aware that I’m making’
That gives me what I see?

Then when you have an answer ask yourself:

What might I now invent,
That I haven’t yet invented,
That would give me other choices…

Further down the page, there is a statement

…we now move on to the second practice, which entails inventing a new universe to live in, a universe of possibility.

Give yourself an A!

This doesn’t mean you should stop trying because you would have already achieved top marks. You should instead start acting like the A student you already are and give others an A as well.

Unimpeded on a daily basis by the concern for survival, free from the generalized assumption of scarcity, a person stands in the great space of possibility in a posture of openness, with an unfettered imagination for what can be.

You are more likely to extend your business and have a fulfilled life if you realize that money, customers and ideas are NOT in short supply and you don’t care about being in control, so can take more risks. You could orient yourself to abundance and may have to give away short term profits in pursuit of a bigger dream, taking the long view, set the context and let this life unfold.

When you realize that everything is invented, and this includes our views of ourselves, this allows you locate yourself into a realm of possibility. One where your every act is of a person deserving an A and you escape being shaped by assumptions. You start acting like the A student you have always been.

Giving yourself an A is not about boasting or making yourself feel better. It spirits you away from a world of measurement into the universe of possibility, allowing ourselves to reevaluate our grade school memories that affect our lives right now. Allowing us to replace childhood narratives and fears with a realm of possibilities.

An A radiates possibility through a family, a workplace and a community, gaining strength, bringing joy and expression and a flowering of talent and productivity.

What it really comes down to is when everything is invented is an abstract piece better or worse than one done in realism? Is my art better or worse than another abstract? It really is in the eyes of the clients, and n0t the work as all works are deserving of an A.

A few years ago Mark, my husband and I visited a winery and had a tour. When the subject of is this a good wine or mediocre one came up the Sommelier said “if you like this wine, then it’s a good wine”.

I have given myself and A and share my art to a world full of possibilities.