The Possibility Curve Excerpt

Link Thinking is how we apply context to define information. It is the ability to connect the right dots, in the right way, at the right time. This book is dedicated to discovering the wisdom necessary for you to link information, thoughts, and ideas in powerful new ways for unparalleled success.

In July of 2002 Crocs hit the market. Originally designed to be a boating shoe because of its non-slip, non-scuff sole, this unlikely little shoe has become an incredible success based on its low maintenance, cost and comfort. Crocs are now available around the world with their product line expanding to include shirts, hats and socks, a perfect example of riding the Possibility Curve.

Some of your ideas come from a logical thought process, others from your subconscious in the form of intuition or instinct, and still other ideas from rapid cognition (conclusions reached in the blink of an eye). These processes are uniquely interrelated and interdependent. The key, after all, is not in how we acquire information; the key is in what we do with the information after we have it.

Acquiring the Information
Google is a wonderful example of link thinking, both metaphorically and literally. Google provides a search engine dedicated to understanding and delivering the information you want. Its purpose is to present data in clear, meaningful and useful ways. The role of the internet and search engines in today’s world is critical. It exponentially increases the amount of information available for everyone to draw on.

Let’s say you have a heart condition and the doctors are worried that you might have a heart attack. They are recommending surgery. You want to be informed, so you turn to the Web. You Google “heart condition.” In .21 seconds (that is, in tenths of a second), you will have 40.6 million results. Narrow your search to “heart attack,” and in .19 seconds you?ll be down to 33 million results. To refine your search further you type in “should I have heart surgery,” and in .1 second you?ll have 14.4 million documents. If you Google “how to perform heart surgery,” you?ll have 17.1 thousand matches in .19 seconds.

Thinking this is crazy, you decide to Google “how to perform heart surgery on myself.” Now you’re getting somewhere: in .25 second, you’re down to 963 documents to review.

In .94 seconds Google searched through its index of approximately 20 billion pieces of information and found over 40 million documents which it narrowed down to 900+ based on your criteria. Today, finding information doesn’t take much time. What takes time is for you to sort through it all and zero in on what is applicable to you.

Still, that’s the easy part. What becomes far more difficult is deciphering the complex and usually conflicted information you finally decide to investigate. It isn’t just the number of documents that will stall you, but that the data that seem most credible will point you in opposite directions. One-third of the sources will have sound evidence that you should have surgery, and another third will have equal validation that you should not based on the fact that heart surgery is often a bigger risk than simply living with your condition. The final third will be the most confusing because it will have complicated information regarding clinical trials and alternative treatments for your condition. In today?s world the challenge is not getting the information, it is finding the right information and giving it context.

Adding Context
Context determines what information means by providing it with a framework. It establishes what it’s related to, and how it’s related. Context defines information.

Conventional Wisdom
With each new piece of information, thought, and idea, you do an internal check, that is, you judge your idea against your common sense. If it passes this initial litmus test, then you accept the information and move forward with it. If it doesn’t pass, your brain rejects the information. This is something we all do everyday. It ranges from deciding whom we believe in a dispute at the office to whom we believe in a debate on television. It’s what we use to decide if our teenager is telling us the truth about that dent in our new car. With all information being equal, it is frequently how we’ll decide on which marketing plan to go with or which new product to back.

This is a great process if your common sense is 100% accurate. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner in their new book, Freakonomics, do an excellent job of challenging conventional wisdom based on their open-minded consideration of the facts, data and numbers. In the book they quote John Kenneth Galbraith, the hyper-literate economic sage, who coined the phrase ‘conventional wisdom’ (which he did not consider a compliment). “We associate truth with convenience,” Galbraith wrote, “with what most closely accords with self-interest and personal well-being or promises best to avoid awkward effort or unwelcome dislocation of life. We also find highly acceptable what contributes most to self-esteem.”

Common sense is a valuable place to start if you are looking for ideas that are, well, common. However, it’s important to remember Ronald Regan’s quote, “Trust but verify.” Look to your own common sense, but challenge yourself. If your common sense is a bit off or if you are looking for ideas that are exceptional, perhaps even counter-intuitive, then LINK Thinking is for you. Each of us has billions, if not trillions, of bits of information in our minds. The secret is assimilating all of these data and connecting the right bits, in the right sequence, on the right day. This book asks you to challenge your own common sense as well as encourage you to disconnect and reconnect information in new, more meaningful ways.