The word liminal comes from a Latin root that means threshold.

Literally a threshold is a doorway. But a threshold is also a starting point, the initial stage of a transition from one thing to another, a position on the cusp of change. For example, “We are on the threshold of a new beginning.”

A threshold is also a limit or boundary that marks a point of transition between one state and another. For example: Something is subliminal when it is below the threshold of consciousness. The freezing point is the threshold that marks the transition from water to ice, or vice versa.

Liminal Thinking is the art of finding, creating and using thresholds to effect change. It is a way of approaching situations with the system in mind rather than individual interactions. It is a kind of mindfulness that can be applied to the social systems we live and work in.

Liminal Thinking is the art of finding, creating and unlocking potential.

In the video below I explain more.

Learn more about Liminal Thinking.

Dave Gray is the Founder of XPLANE and author of Selling to the VP of NO, The Connected Company and Gamestorming.