By AnThony Legins
"An open mind is like an open window. It lets the fresh air in." - Mike Hernacki
When you're open-minded, the world becomes far more exciting and expansive. Maintaining an open mind, though, might be challenging.
We all have beliefs, attitudes, preferences, and prejudices that prevent us from seeing the truth and experiencing new things. Our perception of the world is skewed in ways we aren't even aware of. Being open-minded is a significant challenge.
Consider these advantages of becoming a more open-minded person:
1. You learn more. People that are open-minded are far more interested in learning about new ideas, people, places, and cultures. People with narrow minds believe they already know everything. They aren't willing to try new things.
2. You experience fewer negative emotions. People with closed minds are more readily irritated and offended than those with open minds. People that are open-minded have fewer negative emotions and more positive and neutral ones.
They are more likely to give someone the benefit of the doubt, assuming that they are acting for good reasons.
3. You get along better with others. People who are open-minded enjoy interacting with a wider range of people. They're also more likeable in general, and they're less prone to get into conflicts.
4. You have a broader range of experiences. You'll eagerly engage in new experiences if your thinking is open to fresh possibilities. Close-minded people have far fewer options in life.
5. You’ll be wrong less frequently. The more open you are, the less likely it is that you will make a mistake. You're going to think about everything. You'll have a wider range of experiences and have gained more knowledge. All of these things will result in you being right more often!
6. You have the opportunity to learn more from your mistakes. When an open-minded individual commits a mistake, they might reflect deeply on what went wrong. They'll wonder if they made a bad decision, if their understanding is inaccurate, or if they simply need more practice.
● Close-minded people, on the other hand, are less inclined to consider all of the reasons for their failures, making it more difficult for them to learn from the experience.
7. You are less limited. Anything is possible if you can only open your mind wide enough. When you have a very limited scope, you and your life are very limited, too.
8. You’ll love more people, and more people will love you. People who are open-minded are more welcoming of others, less prone to offend or be upset, perhaps more intriguing, and more interested in other people. All of these characteristics combine to create a person with the potential to be more loving.
You can train yourself to be more open-minded with these strategies:
1. Avoid reacting reflexively to the opinions of others. Rather than leap to a conclusion of the opinion of someone else, stop and think. Ask questions. Inquire why they believe that. You might learn something you either didn’t know or never considered.
2. Read books on topics that are counter to your opinion. If you prefer liberal ideals, for example, read a book written by a conservative. Are you confident there is no such thing as global warming? Read a book written by a climate scientist that backs up the notion of global warming.
3. Expose yourself to new people. We tend to associate with others who share our interests. However, there are lots of other people in the world who can provide you with something new.
4. Travel. Explore new places and things. The most open-minded people tend to be those that also travel extensively. Have you ever visited a developing country or a location where no one looks like you? Things are valued differently in different cultures. Take pleasure in the excitement of travel!
It’s challenging to become more open-minded. Close-minded people tend to find comfort in the fact that their beliefs are certainties to them. Many of them would prefer not to think about anything else. But being open-minded has so many benefits that it's well worth the effort.
Discovering the 4biddenknowledge network and community has definitely expanded my world view and opened my mind to new ideas and concepts that I had never considered before. I must confess that I used to be one of the closed-minded people who firmly believed that my religion and beliefs were the only true way. However, I slowly began to consider and incorporate new ideas and new belief systems that helped to improve my life and broadened my perspective. I now feel freer and more confident as an open-minded person who is willing to consider different views and beliefs. The danger comes with exchanging one belief system for another and then becoming closed minded again.
When dealing with a closed-minded person, it is best not to force your beliefs upon them. This will lead to instant rejection. The best approach is to allow them to see the positive changes in your life and let them approach you.
In this new year, allow your self to explore new ideas and new experiences. Learn a new skill. Face and conquer one of your fears. Be more open minded and tolerant to others beliefs this year. You may meet some good people along the way.
Try it! You might like it!
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Guest blogger AnThony Legins is host of 'How To Buy The Hood' and 'The Armond & AnThony Show' now streaming on 4BiddenKnowledge TV. He is a member of the International Association of Professional Writers & Editors (IAPWE) and he enjoys writing on topics relating to mindset, money, real estate, science, finance and motivation. Read more articles and posts by AnThony at: www.howtobuythehood.com and follow on IG @anthony_legins
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This excellent and well researched book definitely helped aid in opening my mind to new ideas. It is a good book to add to your collection and makes a great gift also!
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