Open the mind Is very important for our well-being, to get new things and to get along with those around us.
"Mental openness"is one of the 5 Great personality traits And if you have it, you will stand out for being tolerant, flexible and adaptable to the changes.
In addition, you may also have interest in other cultures and you work well in a team.
So, whether you are or not, will depend in part on your genetics and partly on the environment in which you live and the experiences you have.
I have read on occasions that very open minded people do not value and evaluate what they perceive, that they make no effort to use and reject proposals.
According to these opinions, your mind would be open to everything, it would not be able to make own opinion and could accept today something to discard it tomorrow.
Would an open-minded person accept the following?
- Violent strikes.
- That someone has the right to insult another person.
- Physical and psychological abuse of children.
Is the best posture mean or critical posture?
In my opinion, it is best not to have a middle position but a critical stance. That is, I believe that if someone is open-minded, they will tend to accept many opinions and facts, although there will also be others that they will have to reject.
It is not about having a middle way between opinions, but about having an opinion based on your values. For example, in the case of child exploitation at work. You do not have to have an average opinion logically.
The problem is that people who adapt to everything are called in society"flexible, open or adaptable." But what if you adapt to your boss abusing you paying you a misery on the hour? This example is no joke, in fact in Spain is given lately often.
In the previous example there will always be someone who will tell you that it is good to be flexible and that"it is what there is, if there is no work, you will have to accept anything." I do not agree, there are always better solutions (for example looking for a decent job abroad).
The point of this is that it is good to be open-minded but also to be critical. You are going to lose a lot of things if you are not open mentally, although it is not smart to accept everything. Therefore, do not always adapt your points of view and actions to the opinions of others, be critical.
- What if black people had agreed with people who were in favor of slavery?
- What if pre-twentieth-century women agreed to stay at home and not have the right to vote?
- What if we agree that the corrupt are forgiven and do not serve a sentence?
How To Be Open Minded
1-Listen more than talk
As Stephen Covey says:
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
It is impossible for you to learn new ideas if you are always talking. Then you are re-creating yourself in your own world, not in that of others.
The more you learn it is when you listen with a real interest, not waiting to give your next answer.
Propose to listen at least 70% of the time you talk to others.
2-The power of values and self-assertions
A simple self-affirmation exercise can open your mind and change your behavior.
The problem when you want to change is that if you give us advice we tend to get defensive and try to justify our own behavior.
For example, if we are told that we do something wrong, that we eat poorly or that we do not exercise, Our ego Reject it and say,"I do not have time","I do not have money"...
However, this can be changed. According an investigation Published this year, focus on values that are personally important (such as solidarity, being respectful to others, being good to family), can help people to accept advice that might have been threatening.
According to that research, before you receive any advice or encounter any particular situation, you have to make self-affirmations that are important to you; It could be about religion, work, family or something that has meaning for you.
For example, you are likely to be much more open-minded at work if you say self-assertion like this:"It is important to grow as a professional and to take advice to learn from others."
Also, if you say self-affirmations like"exercise is good for my health and well-being,"you will take good advice from others on possible diets or exercises that are convenient for you.
3-Thanks the suggestions
If you want to improve as a person or professional, you will have to take into account the evaluation of two or more people, not counting your own, because people tend to think well about themselves and defend their ego
Therefore, if someone politely gives you a suggestion, be grateful because it is actually something that will make you better. You do not have to accept everything, there are people who have criteria and others who do not, but at least you can take it into account.
The person who does not want you better will not tell you if you are doing something wrong.
4-Get out of the flock and do different things
Dare to be different, do not accept all customs, act and do not be afraid to think that you are"the freak."
Surely they also thought Columbus was weird when he thought he could go to the"Indies"to the west. Same with Galileo or even Einstein.
5-Look for new opportunities and overcome fear
If for example you have never traveled and want to open your mind to new cultures and experiences, you may have some fear of launching.
However, this is normal and even the most daring are afraid at first. Accept fear and Acts to overcome it , Once you do it everything is easier and you open thousands of new opportunities in your life.
And you are an open person? Do you have problems to be? Can you give me other tips?