Liminal Thinking. Dave Gray

powerful change. I read Dave’s book right when I needed it most. I feel many of us will always feel that way picking up this book time and again. It is a light and easy-to-access volume we can return to over and over when we need to nourish ourselves, our values, and our vision to enact change to make a better world. Simple language, clear organization of complex concepts, and ease of accessibility show that Dave is really a master and precise wielder of his art, the art of making the complex simple and the simple compelling.”

       —Alicia Dudek, Lead Design Ethnographer and Innovator, Deloitte Australia

      “This book will unlock the magical and often hidden parts behind change. You will have the tools to think differently and to help others think differently. Dave has found yet another way to simplify the understanding of the map for the key journeys for evolving human potential.”

       —Mike Hruska, President & CEO, Problem Solutions

      “Liminal Thinking is a book about how to be mentally healthy, how to be present, and how to be a positive force in the world. But more simply, and more importantly, it’s a book about how to be.”

      —Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell Is Human

       Contents at a Glance

       Foreword by Richard Saul Wurman

       Preface: How This Book Came to Be

       Introduction: What Is Liminal Thinking?

       Part I. How Beliefs Shape Everything

       Principle 1. Beliefs Are Models

       Principle 2. Beliefs Are Created

       Principle 3. Beliefs Create a Shared World

       Principle 4. Beliefs Create Blind Spots

       Principle 5. Beliefs Defend Themselves

       Principle 6. Beliefs Are Tied to Identity

       Part II. What to Do About It

       Practice 1. Assume You Are Not Objective

       Practice 2. Empty Your Cup

       Practice 3. Create Safe Space

       Practice 4. Triangulate and Validate

       Practice 5. Ask Questions, Make Connections

       Practice 6. Disrupt Routines

       Practice 7. Act As If in the Here and Now

       Practice 8. Make Sense with Stories

       Practice 9. Evolve Yourself

       Now What?

       Appendix

       Glossary

       Index

       Acknowledgments

       About the Author

       Contents and Executive Summary

       Foreword by Richard Saul Wurman

       Preface: How This Book Came to Be

       Introduction: What Is Liminal Thinking?

      Liminal Thinking is the art of creating change by understanding, shaping, and reframing beliefs.

       Part I. How Beliefs Shape Everything

      These six principles constitute a theory of beliefs: how they come into being, why they are necessary, how they are reinforced over time, and why people cling to their beliefs, even when they are incomplete, obsolete, or invalid. They are beliefs about beliefs.

       Principle 1. Beliefs Are Models

      Beliefs seem like perfect representations of the world, but, in fact, they are imperfect models for navigating a complex, multidimensional, unknowable reality.

       Principle 2. Beliefs Are Created

      Beliefs are constructed hierarchically, using theories and judgments, which are based on selected facts and personal, subjective experiences.

       Principle 3. Beliefs Create a Shared World

      Beliefs are the psychological material we use to co-create a shared world, so we can live, work, and do things together. Changing a shared world requires changing its underlying beliefs.

       Principle 4. Beliefs Create Blind Spots

      Beliefs are tools for thinking and provide rules for action, but they can also create artificial constraints that blind you to valid possibilities.

       Principle 5. Beliefs Defend Themselves

      Beliefs