The rating of 3 is a waffler - could be a 3.6 or a 3.7 - it's more than a 3, but not quite a 4. Why the waffling? Because every so often I felt that Ben or Rosamund was rambling. Yet the book is fairly short at 196 pages, so perhaps my assessment stems from having read portions at night, when I was tired.

This book has been on my "to read" list for quite awhile. I discovered Ben Zander via a youtube video of the Davos Annual Meeting 2008 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zErpOnYZZH0) and immediately had an awakening based upon several of Ben's anecdotes.

What was it that stuck with me? Ben, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, woke up one day and said "I realized that my job was to awaken possibilities in other people." As a support specialist in education (computer teacher, technology facilitator, and STEAM integrator), this described so simply exactly what I aimed to do.

Then he went on to describe how he tells his students that "If you make a mistake – How Fascinating!" Simple words of wisdom but so perfect, for all learning comes from trying, making mistakes, revising, and trying again. So if you make a mistake, how fascinating; as a teacher this is what I try to instill in my students.

Ultimately, Zander talks about "radiating possibility".

In the "Art of Possibility" Zander and his wife share twelve practices they have culled from years of trying to bring out the positive possibility in their personal and professional relationships. Most made much sense to me, a few had me drifting (see my opening paragraph), yet combined they all provide a way to find your way forward into a world of possibility rather than a world of anti-possibility.

I'd give it 4.5 stars and highly recommend the audiobook.

Excellent book that makes you think in a new way. I enjoyed the audiobook quite a lot and would recommend to anyone - even if you have read the book!

Wonderful book, truly inspiring, full of enriching metaphors from the world of music that apply to everyday life. Ros and Ben are great motivators and this book proves it. Worth reading it.

I read this because a trusted colleague told me it’s his favorite book. He lives by some of these practices, so I already had the benefit of knowing how they feel, without knowing where they came from. As a mom of teens, I found “Give the A”, “be the board” and “rule #6” especially powerful. In the audio version, I loved all the musical references and audio that they chose to play along by with some parts. Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this book even if I didn’t have context, but working beside my friend and feeling HIS daily practice of Possibility made me absolutely love reading this for myself.

Pretty uneven. Ben's anecdotes are fascinating, and I generally agree with the thrust of the book of making yourself open to possibilities. However the book is very uneven and veers too far into the touchy feely mumbo jumbo realm too often. I skimmed the last half of the book and probably missed some nuggets of wisdom but my sanity demanded it.