Yesterday at 06h10, I boarded a flight to Cape Town. Upon arrival I entered into their brand new airport and was just amazed at how fantastic everything was looking. I had this feeling of contentment and peace for the future of South Africa as I watched the people around me and ordered my Vide coffee. There were people everywhere, an absolute buzz.
A few years ago, Benjamin Zander challenged me in his talk on possibility. He spoke about the two options we have in every moment of the day. Option number 1 was what he termed ‘negative downward spirals’. These spirals pull ourselves and those around us downward emotionally. At the bottom of this spiral it is pretty much impossible to maintain any level of healthy perspective which reflects in your actions. Option number 2 is a much more attractive option. It is to stand in the ‘place of possibility’.
Standing in the place of possibility is what we most need to do. It is also what we are least likely to do. In fact, we seem to have our default setting at negativity. Finding Possibilities means we need to train ourselves to engage with two disciplines at any time.
Firstly - creating space. We actually do have time despite what people may think. Even a couple of seconds represents time and sometimes that is all that we need. All of us have stimulus or triggers which immediately set off that negativity in our minds. It could be the morning traffic, something our spouse does or that manager at work. We seem to react to it every time and end up feeling negative and heavy in a matter of seconds. What we don’t do is open up some space just after that trigger to make a conscious decision to stand in the place of possibility. Create space right upfront which gives you the opportunity to engage with the second discipline - asking great questions.
Many people are looking for answers - few are asking great questions. In that moment -post stimulus - great questions can save you from negative downward spirals. Watch what happens as you answer questions such as:
How is my negativity going to help this situation?
If I let myself go now, what does it mean for the rest of my day?
Followed by a critical question that swings us away from those spirals into the place of possibility.
‘What is possible right now?’
What you’ve done is stopped the downward flow of negativity and opened up possibilities. It will happen quicker than you think! Everything that we encounter has two sides to it - one positive and one negative. Your alignment to either side determines your actions and in many ways your future.
Thankfully you have a choice. I hope you choose to stand in the place of possibility.
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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com