1. If you'd like to start quickly with an ONLINE COURSE that is mostly video, watch the short video below and click the link at the end of the paragraph below the video.
2. If you'd like to just dive in and start exploring proximity thinking and this site, read the three paragraphs that come after the online course description below, then choose a link in the Essence of ProxThink paragraph and go from there! You can also explore with the other sections in this Start area, using the menu at the left.
Here's an Onramp You could read pages and pages of this site, or get a much faster start with the Let's Be More Alive Intro to ProxThink online course. Plus, knowing about proximity thinking will help you get more out of related projects at loughry.com that boost sustainable variety, vitality, and being more alive. Learn more and sign up at proxthink.thinkific.com.
Why proximity?
Many of our personal and shared situations have a group of elements related to the situation, whether those elements are people, places, things, ideas, feelings, relationships, groups, times, processes, or whatever else seems related to the situation. But we don’t have a frequent way of talking about, and relating to, a group of elements related to a situation. This way of talking and relating needs to encompass general concepts like contexts and environments. Yet it also needs to be flexible enough to handle elements that are related to a situation but not part of the immediate context or environment. And, it needs to handle groups of elements related to situations as diverse as those involving regions, communities, neighborhoods, offices, projects and even parties and conversations. The word proximity, the meaning of which includes nearness in relationship, can help. In proximity thinking, the proximity consists of elements related or potentially related to a situation, in physical, mental and other ways.
What is ProxThink?
ProxThink is a proximity-focused framework for creativity, innovation, problem-solving, sustainability and living. Proximity thinking is thinking with this proximity-focused framework, which consists of some basic ideas, patterns, models and tools. Proximity thinking can be used in proximities which may be personal, interpersonal, organizational, market-oriented, local, regional, global, or unique to your situation.
Essence of ProxThink
The ProxThink framework mainly consists of three integrated parts: the Basics, the ProxPatterns and the Growth Model. The Basics help us describe and discuss situations. The ProxPatterns are especially helpful for creativity, innovation and problem-solving. The Growth Model boosts collaboration and encourages growth for people who share a proximity. The Basics, the ProxPatterns and the Growth Model build on the Underlying Concept that being is about relating, and they help carry out the Core Idea, which is a basic strategy for situations. (For a longer introduction to these three integrated parts, see ProxThink Innovations in the Intro Area.)