What is possibility thinking, anyway? To provide some clarification, let’s talk about what possibility thinking is not, to start. Possibility thinking is not the same as positive thinking. A person who thinks positively would say of the global pandemic we have all endured since 2020, “oh, it’s not so bad!” That is not the case at all. Many of us have suffered loss and hardship. The pandemic has been hard in many ways.

A person who stands in possibility would say, “look what could be!” That person sees that the old way of working, living, and convening has an opportunity to be reimagined simply because they can’t be done the way they always have.

The  way we see our world shapes our perception of what is possible.

The mental models we hold 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. 

We can break down possibility thinking into a few types of mindsets.

Possibility thinking is fueled by a growth mindset and an abundance mindset, as well as their subsets–a curiosity mindset and a solutions-oriented mindset, respectively. Possibility thinking is like an umbrella for these concepts.

Growth Mindset

 Growth mindset was codified and brought into popular culture by Carol Dweck in her book, Mindset. A growth mindset sees problems and challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, whereas a fixed mindset sees failure as fatal and gets defeated easily. Below is a table that lists the differentiators of a growth vs. a fixed mindset. 

Adopting a growth mindset helps you see possibilities rather than obstacles. 

Curiosity

Curiosity is a subset of a growth mindset and an extremely powerful tool that opens up new possibilities to you. It’s what motivates us to learn and pursue. Curiosity builds a burning desire to learn, to discover, to explore, to know.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, and Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, advocates that following our curiosity instead of our passion is the real key to an interesting and creative life. She says, “Forget about the notion of passion, and give your attention to your curiosity. Passion burns hot and fast, which means it can come and go. Curiosity is so accessible and available, every single day of your life.”  

Abundance mindset

An abundance mindset maintains that there is enough for everyone. That there is enough love, resources, opportunities, wealth, time. With an abundance mindset, there are no limits. An abundance mindset sees more opportunities and solutions. There are multiple ways to reach goals and solve problems. An abundance mindset can generate creativity and innovation.

Having an abundance mindset allows you to think big and push past your comfort zone. A scarcity mindset makes you think small and avoid risk. It makes you stay in your comfort zone and allows fear to control you.

 People with an abundance mindset are more generous, giving, and share their knowledge and ideas with others. They are collaborative, agreeable and cooperative.

 When you know that you have generative power and exercise it, you can see possibilities where others may only see problems.

 Solutions-oriented

 A solutions-oriented mindset is not one that ignores problems, but one that notices problems and acts quickly to find solutions. Focusing on solutions prevents you from staying stuck. You act quickly instead of wasting time worrying and complaining about the problems. You reduce anxiety, stress, worrying, and overwhelm. A solutions-oriented mindset allows you to reduce procrastination and act quickly when obstacles come up.

 If you don’t know something or how to do something, you commit to figuring it out. You commit to learning. You commit to solving. 

Being solutions-focused leads to more creativity and innovation. You become more open-minded and learn to look at things from different angles. You figure out not just one, but multiple different solutions and ways to reach goals and solve problems.

This mindset is incredibly liberating and empowering. And it allows you to move forward in possibility.

Powerful Questions 

Sometimes you find yourself stuck and only see constraints rather than the possibilities.

My favorite way of moving out of being stuck into possibility thinking is with powerful questions. What is a question, that if you asked yourself this question every day for a year, your life and your career would transform? When you wake up every morning, how will you live into that question?

And if you like, see this list of twelve powerful questions that will help you see possibility in your career.