Episode 6 - Mastering the Art of Possibility Thinking

Mastering the Art of Possibility Thinking

In episode six of 'Life After Fear, Redefine Your Limits,' host Courtney Schoch explores the concept of possibility thinking and how to shift from a scarcity to an abundance mindset. The episode begins with a thought-provoking question about viewing the world through a lens of possibility or impossibility. Courtney emphasizes the importance of adopting a mindset that sees opportunities instead of obstacles. She outlines three strategies to master possibility thinking: using empowering language, recognizing and utilizing resistance as a companion, and creating an actionable plan. The episode encourages listeners to talk positively to themselves, understand and confront their fears, and take practical steps toward their goals. Courtney concludes with a call to action to vote and a preview of the next episode, which will focus on rewriting one's personal story.

MENTIONS

The Art of War - Steven Pressfield 

Learn more about your host Courtney Schoch

Transcript

Courtney:  Hello, everyone. Welcome to episode number six of Life After Fear, Redefine Your Limits with Courtney Schoch. Today, I'd like to start the episode off with a question. 

Think about this. How many of you think that all things are possible until proven impossible? How many of you think that all things are impossible until proven possible?

Well, the topic today is how to master the art of possibility thinking and the way you answered that question makes a big difference. What exactly is possibility thinking? It's about shifting your mindset from focusing on limitations to embracing what is possible.

How many of you have sat on the beach and looked out into the ocean? And were just amazed at the vastness of it, of how incredible it was. And you realized that there's a whole other world underneath that water. You just can't see it. One way to think about that is If you are a fish, in a fishbowl, your world is very small and very myopic.

You don't even realize outside of that fishbowl how vast everything is and how much opportunity there is in the world. But you have to shift your thinking in order to step into that new world. It's about training your mind to see opportunities instead of obstacles. And it's important to approach challenges with creativity, curiosity, and determination.

In this short episode, we're going to shift from a scarcity to an abundance mindset and discuss three quick strategies on how to do that. 

The first strategy is going to be language. I have said this to you guys and gals a million times. How you talk to yourself is so, so, so important. And you know, you've got a great idea when you share it with other people, and they look at you like you are absolutely nuts. Like you're crazy. What do you think people said to the Wright brothers when they said that they were going to design something that flew? My guess is that there were a lot of skeptics. Do you think that their language was empowering? Do you think that they said, "Yeah, sure. go. That's great. That's awesome." Maybe a few people did, but I bet most people had negative things to say and had the Wright brothers have listened to the language of other people. We may not have air travel today. It's a good possibility that we wouldn't, or at least it wouldn't look the way it does now.

Talk to yourself in a positive, empowering way. Don't make things worse than they are. We all have a tendency to beat ourselves up but see things how they really are and see and speak the way that things will be the way that you want them to be. You sometimes need to be your biggest cheerleader, which brings us to strategy number two.

Realize what's holding you back. Or what's the resistance to what you're doing? In the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, he states that resistance is proportional to love. The more resistance you feel, the more important the project is to you and the more gratification you'll feel when you complete it.

How many of you have done something that was really hard and you felt great on the other end of it? I know I have. Sometimes just coming into the podcast studio to get this podcast out there is sometimes a lot of resistance. I'm nervous. I want to make sure I'm saying the right things. I go over it again and again in my head.

Then when I get in front of this microphone, something completely different comes out. But you know what? I'm doing the work and I feel proud about that. It makes me excited. It makes me grateful that I have the opportunity to do it. So when I wake up in the morning, instead of not wanting to come into the studio because I'm fearful of what others may think, I still come in, and I do the hard work because that's important

Another thing in the War of Art, Steven Pressfield says, "the amateur believes that he must first overcome fear. Then he can do the work, but the professional knows fear can never be overcome." How incredible is it to use fear as a companion and as a tool, as opposed to using fear to hold us back and not get things done?

There's something called the Principle of Priority, which means it's important to know what's urgent versus what's important and to do what's important first. Sometimes, we procrastinate with things that are urgent and ignore the things that are important, and that prevents us from doing what we really want to doFor going into the realm of impossible to turn it into possible, but you're not going to do that. I know you guys won't because now you're aware of it. 

That brings us to strategy number three: create an action plan. The 30,000-foot view, where do you want to go, and why do you want to get there? Why do you want to do this incredible thing?

Why do you want to do the thing that everybody thinks is nuts, or somebody else can do it? It's important to remember that what other people once thought was impossible, they've turned it into the possible. So why can't you? Ask yourself, if not you, who else would do it? The answer, my friends, is you.

You're the one who's going to go out there and do it. Get your action plan together and get moving. Do some incredible things for yourself. Rather it's getting into better shape, going out and designing a new product, getting the partner of your dreams, going to a new country, moving to a new home.

Whatever it is, get excited about what you're doing and make a plan. There are a lot of different resources you can use in order to make that plan. You can reference the previous episodes that we've recorded on how to make a plan, you can go online and find out how to make a plan, but just do something, take that first step in order to gain some confidence and momentum because you will not be sorry.

What you will be sorry about, and I can promise you this, is if you don't take action and you don't make a plan, you're going to regret it. And that's no good for anyone for anyone because without a plan, it's only wishful thinking. And that's not a strategy

Friends let's recap the three simple strategies to mastering the art of possibility thinking.

The first is language. Don't talk yourself out of doing something incredible. Don't do it. Go out there and do what you imagine, what you feel is incredible. Get it done. Number two, what's holding you back? It's resistance. We know it's resistance, which is also known as fear. That's going to be a resource and a companion.

Don't let it keep you down. Number three is an action plan. Get your action plan together. Get your act together. Go out there and do something incredible. Starts with the first step. Gain momentum, and momentum equates to confidence. It's resistance.

Remember this quote by William Blake, "what is now proved was once only imagined."

That is a very strong quote, and I think it's a perfect way to end the show. 

If you have not read The Art of War by Steven Pressfield, I highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite, favorite books. 

Okay, friends, today's voting day, so I'm going to go vote. I hope all of you do your civic duty and vote for the candidate that you think is best.

I look forward to you joining me next week. That episode is going to be episode number seven, Rewriting Your Story. That's the story you tell yourself, and it can either empower you or destroy you. It's your choice. So, if you don't want to miss that episode or other episodes, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and rate the show. 

I really appreciate that. The reviews make a big difference, and I'd love to hear from you. So if you have any suggestions or comments or want to share an experience, let me know. Thank you again for listening to episode number six, Mastering the Art of Possibility Thinking. 

Do something today that your future self will thank you for. Until next week, keep reaching for the sky and never settle for less than what you can be. Take care everyone.