7 Ways to Think Differently

Throughout this very readable book Looby encourages us to think about thinking ... and in doing so she poses a number of fundamental questions including, for example: How do you see the world?, What might influence how you think about this?, What are your beliefs and assumptions?, What are the patterns of thinking that recreate feelings, behaviours and learning?, How can you go deeper and think more critically to challenge these? and How can you reinterpret these stories? The Introduction covers how she developed the basis for the book and briefly lists the seven different ways (and her choice of symbols to illustrate each one). She provides explanations of Permaculture and The Work That Reconnects, Thinking about Thinking, Shifting our Thinking and concludes with Landscape of Thought which pulls all seven ways together into a single graphic image. The bulk of the book has seven chapters, each covering one of the seven ways, which are: abundance thinking, solutions thinking, systems thinking, thinking like nature, co-operative thinking, thinking for the future and from thinking to doing. Each one adds structure and depth to the unfolding story. The final pages are packed with further resources, listing books, websites and films as well as 46 references used throughout the text. There is also a very useful double page Ways of Thinking Summary with multiple examples and the relevant permaculture principles applying to each one. In her closing words Looby asks us to accept that this [book] is an invitation to embark on a beautiful journey of embracing, responding and discovering. I do, I am now using the book and strongly recommend it to you as one very effective tool for being and doing in a very different way.; Alan Charlton, Permaculture magazine