Together with the tools mentioned in Part III, the mental tools listed here, in this section, are the tools to use to ward off your own inherent ignorance and stupid predispositions! "Imagine possibilities!” may be sound advice, but the retort, "Imagine what?” resonates loudly when this advice is offered for the first time among those who just don't know.

   Only when we know where to most importantly focus our attention may we avoid overlooking those important possibilities that could quickly lead to a problem's resolution ... before it becomes too late! This is of vital importance when we find ourselves scarce on resources or, most importantly, time. Once we know what to consider first, we may then quickly get to work without wasting time or effort or resources.

   The task of avoiding all potential for mental error is not simple! Because we don't have mechanical minds, we tire and overlook, forget and even ignore, trivialize and oversimplify. These mnemonic devices — in particular these first four — represent our best attempt at helping ourselves remember where to most importantly or appropriately focus our attention so as to keep our thinking "on the right track" and to help ourselves sidestep our own inherent capacity for human error.

  I. Star of Sensibilities

• Avoid Self-centeredness: Always keep in mind the selfless option. Localizing all your thoughts solely on YOU may be convenient, but certainly inconsiderate. Remain considerate for the well-being of all those around you and how they are feeling. Decide according to, "What’s best for EVERYONE involved?” rather than the selfish, self-centered, "What’s best for ME?” Readily allow for abnegation in the way of deducing what's BEST or RIGHT for everyone in general: "We can’t always get what we want!”

• Superior Knowledge: The competent and trained mind will always outperform an unprepared thinker relying on only his perceptions to navigate through a scenario. Relinquishing control to those who know always leads to more optimal solutions than to those who are merely, say, guessing at the facts. Greater certainty in knowing leads to less likelihood for subsequent error. (The most competent is always the least likely to err.)

• Safety: Beware of all the possible snares potentially lying dormant and inherent to the situation you may be considering. Perhaps they are already there, or perhaps they may subsequently develop as an indirect consequence of your own response(s) to the situation. Imagining all potential dire possibility already inherent to or consequent to your own responses to a scenario is not generally so simple as it may seem. Don't rely only on your memories to guide your preparatory industries. You Must Imagine Possibilities!

• Security: Beware the possibility for setup, a situation that another may have cleverly devised for the sake of ruthlessly capitalizing on your own response. What may seem an appropriate response may not actually be so once you contemplate all the potential underlying trepidations.

• Sensitivity: Keep the delicate possibilities in mind. Don't overlook subtle considerations potentially leading to future suffering or sadness.

• Simultaneity: Rather than contemplating, "First I’ll try this. Then I’ll try that,” consider perhaps trying both at the same time. When possible, simultaneous planning and doing can reduce the time considerably that you have to work with and can even at times lead to better solutions. Remain open to this possibility rather than focusing your thoughts entirely on sequential activities.

 II. Pyramid of Precautions

• Avoid Personality Projection: Thinking others think like you may be convenient but constitutes — especially in the professional decision-making field — a dangerous oversimplification. When others are relying on you for superior supervision, believing that they will behave and respond in certain ways like you would by no means will consistently lead to the results you want, and in fact will customarily lead to blatant oversight and error. You Must Be Prepared For All Possible Reactions And Personalities!

• Priority: Never lose sight of what's of the utmost importance. Priorities may change from situation to situation, but always shall Safety and Compassion rank at the top of any priority list. Taking a moment today to rank all your priorities — goal by goal — can lead to quicker, more optimal choices tomorrow should you find yourself with little time for having to select between alternatives.

• Prevention: Why wait to fix it later when you can prevent it from possibly breaking now? Don't Be So Lazy! Get To Work! Prevent It From Happening To Begin With!

• Preparation: Plan now, and win later. Wait now, and lose later unnecessarily. Preparation means Imagination. We must be prepared for ALL possibility, however subtle or remote any single one may seem, if we are to avoid ALL potential problems later on. Where time may be extremely short later on, you won't have the luxury of imagining possibilities so as to avoid what you might overlook. So that you won't react according to your perceptions later, imagine all possibility now. Put Your Mind To Work NOW So That You May Avoid Later.

• Possibility: You want to be prepared for all possibility. Don't wait for experience to later point out what you had overlooked. For the future, Anticipate. For the past, imagine the possibility for a Setup behind the present situation (natural illusion? or trap?). For the present, imagine the Unseen (psychological manipulation?). And so on.

• Protection: Caring for and protecting the lives of all those who may subsequently bear the burden of your decisions remains tantamount to all other considerations. All life deserves protection.

III. Cube of Considerations

• Avoid Overconfidence: Rather than "confidently" assuming nothing could possibly go wrong, exert the extra effort to check to make sure! Confirm and Verify.

• Crunch: See page 13. Crunch it! BRAINSTORM to seek out what precisely might be wrong with the plans you have made. You're only human! Surely you must have overlooked, trivialized or forgotten about some miniscule detail! Expose it before it devastates all your planning. Remember that you want to make a Robust decision, Prepared for ALL possibility — Antecedent, Concurrent and Consequent.

• Contradict: Convince yourself that you're wrong! Try to contradict yourself so that you may become better prepared for whatever opposition you may yet encounter. Rather than falling into the trap of thinking like everybody else, dare to differ! BRAINSTORM to recognize what "everyone else" may be overlooking. For example, if all those around you say, "It’s impossible!” research for yourself why that may not necessarily hold true.

• Care and Concern: Rather than becoming self-absorbed and preoccupied solely with thoughts revolving about self, maintain a concerned attitude about the well-being of others. Do it because you care, because you want to be considerate of how others feel. Always opt for the greatest compassionate final outcome of greatest certainty! See Decision: Constraints: Overriding Priorities and Probability.

• Caution: Safety first!

• Compare / Contrast: Not only should you recognize how the various choices you may have available are similar and different, but also should you try to recognize, for example, how one definitely leads to a greatest compassionate final outcome while another only possibly leads to a lesser.

• Causes and Consequences: Imagine them before they devastate your planning rather than waiting for experience to point out what you do not yet know.

All opinions expressed in this web site, unless otherwise noted, are my own, Michael Gaspard. If you notice any errors or have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know by e-mailing webmaster@mdpme.com. Thank you!

This web page was last updated on Monday, May 24, 2004.
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