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The Power of Impossible ThinkingReview by Joe Vitale: OUR  MENTAL MODERLS SHAPE EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES! (your map of reality) I feel most of us don’t think big enough.not even close. To help s-t-r-e-t-c-h your mind. read this book from wind and Crook.The world you live in is all in your mind, according to Wharton Business School Professors Yoram Wind and Colin Crook. The Power of Impossible Thinking is a witty and lucid translation of neuroscience research about “mental models”–the deeply ingrained assumptions and images that shape our reality and influence opportunities for success and failure. “Our models are gated communities,” say Crook and Wind, who offer a superb crash course on the power and limit of mental models. The key questions: How do you know when an old model is worn out? How do you avoid “cognitive lock,” filtering out information that conflicts with your model? How do you know a new model will live up to its hype? Many of the answers lie in “Mind R&D”–developing an inventory of new and old models and refining your intuition to fit your current reality. These engaging ideas are detailed with portraits of three impossible thinkers (Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Intel’s Andy Grove) and vivid examples (The music industry vs. Napster, a French fry cancer scare, O-rings on the Challenger). Wind and Crook make such a brilliant case for new ways of seeing that readers may wish for more coaching to recognize the obsolete models that keep us from changing our minds. –Barbara MackoffWho says I am not capable of change? When I first say this book I was turned off by what I perceived as its “positive thinking power” approach. I am glad I did not stop there. A careful reading revealed the book to contain a systematic process which helps define the importance of mental models, assess their relevance and steps for action. The authors propose a four step process for assessing and changing your models. 1. Recognize the power and limits of mental models. 2. Test the relevance of your models against the changing environment, generate new models and develop an integrated portfolio. 3. Overcome change inhibitors by reshaping infrastructure and thinking. 4. Transform your world by quick action. Continuously experiment, assess and strengthen your models. This fourth point, the authors say, is accomplished by “zooming in” and “zooming out.” Zooming in is a process that involves focusing of a situation’s details without being over whelmed by them. The process includes these approaches: 1. Engage in rigorous analysis. Pay attention to outliers and inconsistencies. 2. Categorize and Prioritize. Categorize by similarity, common fate and continuation. 3. Avoid Paralysis caused by too broad a focus. Zooming out allows you to look at the big picture. It is accomplished by: 1. Recognizing the limits of your vision field. 2. Avoid Cognitive fixation. 3. Appreciate the context. 4. Create time for reflection. 5. Use many approaches. 6. Collaborate. The models you adopt shape your approach to life. The dot-bomb bubble provides interesting lessons, the authors say. 1. Understand your models. 2. Know when to change. Do not get swept away with fads. 3. Recognize that paradigm shifts are a two-way street. Old models have value in an e-commerce world. 4. Develop a new way to see and perceive. 5. Mine nuggets of sense from streams of complexity. 6. Experiment. 7. Bridge disconnects. 8. Examine your infrastructure. 9. Trust your intuition – but have the courage to challenge it. To change your world, you have to change your thinking. This book is a thoughtful, systematic approach expanding your personal and business opportunities.