4 Reasons to Always Keep an Open Mind

Maintaining an open mind in your daily interactions with people is extremely necessary if you really want to keep moving forward, be it in your career, your small business, your educational pursuits or your relationship.

I have come to notice that it is most helpful to refuse to close our mind or to prejudge a person or their motives even before we hear them out. Let's take a look at the reasons why you and I need to keep an open mind.

1. Reality could be different from appearances.

For all you know, that individual seeking employment at your startup and whom you consider to have nothing to offer, just because of something you don't like about their appearance could turn out to be the single most valuable employee you will ever have.

It isn't always that people put their best foot forward whenever they have to meet new situations. Some of us simply don't know how to apply the principle of making a good initial impression. That is the reason why you have to keep an open mind when dealing with people you've never met before. It is highly likely that you'll be in for a pleasant surprise if you give others the chance to prove their worth over a reasonable period of time.

Trust me, companies embarking on a talent-hunt, people looking for relationship partners, students in search for a good school or adult learning center to acquire more life skills are known to have lost what could have been their best choices ever, just by dismissing prospects based on appearances.

You cannot afford to make that costly mistake.

2. You will learn valuable lessons and grow further if you always keep an open mind.

No one has ever known it all. That is why we always have to keep on finding ways and opportunities to learn and know more. Sometimes, we learn our most valuable lessons from the most unlikely places, experiences and people. Knowledge is always evolving. What is believed to be the best method of solving a problem becomes obsolete within a short period of time. The knowledge you acquired from school years ago may not be that relevant the way it was at the time you graduated.

To remain relevant, therefore, you and I need to keep an open mind and stop being negative about the new developments going on all around us. The more we're prepared to try new ideas, immerse ourselves wholeheartedly in new experiences and even learn from people who may be many years our juniors, the greater the skills we'll acquire to enable us to continue to achieve more.

3. Maintaining an open mind opens doors.

How many times have you been surprised with an opportunity from someone or from an activity you least expect to deliver? Quite a lot, I presume.

We live in a world full of surprises. That door you never thought could lead to your success could be the one bringing great wealth to those who believed.That is a good reason for you to maintain a positive attitude and keep your mind open always.

The truth is, there are many employers out there who still value open-minded and adventurous employees. At a highly competitive job or promotion interview, for example, chances are that those who display a strong willingness to keep an open mind to continue learning are the ones likely to be shortlisted for consideration.

On the other hand, those who display an attitude of being very conservative and rigid with their opinions or traditional thinking would hardly stand any chance.

4. You will nurture stronger relationships.

No. I'm not saying that you should trust all manner of people just because you desire to build relationships either for your small business or for career development.

The actual point here is that you cannot expect to have strong, meaningful relationships with others if you're not willing to allow yourself time to find out more about their values and hidden attributes.

In other words, there is no way we will be able to build closer ties with our partners or develop beneficial networks with our suppliers or agents if all we do is prejudge their actions or motives.

And remember, the more relationships you're able to build by being positive and open-minded, the more you will be contributing to making our world a better place.

That's definitely a lofty prospect. Don't you agree?

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