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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Standing In the Sands of Time

Focused life energy appears like the beam of a laser pointer, directing you to observe specific points. The pointer is a powerful tool, demanding that all attention is carefully engaged. Focused life energy is the most powerful tool in your tool box of life. Scattered life energy appears like a kaleidoscope with continuous breaks in the design. While you may find it more dramatic and entertaining its value is limited to simply observing. It doesn't really direct you to look at anything except the breaks.

Life energy is scattered by variables we have been exposed to that were dramatic enough to consume your attention. This cycle typically begins in early childhood where life skills are honed. This is unfortunate because you have far less control over the events that may even be bizarre but are presented to you as 'normal.' Even though you smooth it over, looking away from events and the damage left behind, it is no less a shattered childhood causing confusion and bad choices as you learn to navigate mixed signals in your daily life. Sadly this spills into adulthood where you practice a 'go along to get along' approach or the exact opposite, rage. Both are guaranteed to make your journey difficult and far less successful than it could have been. It is not uncommon to see a survivor attitude surface as the twists and tangles of life begin to unravel. You learn to ignore the niggling doubts that things may not be as they should and compromise or simply swallow the bitterness that accompanies the pain of the losses. Both invite a friend named Misery into your life journey. By adulthood you may even be comfortable with this old friend, trusting it more than happiness.

Like living under cover, you learn not to expect much from others in your life and rarely believe good things will last. This is a part of the 'survivor syndrome' that keeps you prepared to let go when you imagine you have lost. It is the 'I ain't scared and that didn't hurt' cry from a child still attempting to make it through the pain. There is no healing if you remain on this path, but there are some surprises.

You may find yourself in relationships where 'give till it hurts' becomes your mantra. Like a doormat with a smiley face on it you keep on keeping on, many times attracting abusers or narcissists into your life. This ensures that you will be pummeled like a punching bag with others rage, insults and outrageous demands. On and on it goes, or so you thought. The surprises arrive as warning shots from within. You may ignore them at first, like the signs of an approaching heart attack or stroke that you ignore. Why not since you are the survivor? You may skip right past those early warning signs but like a freight train barreling down the tracks, the one that gets your attention is approaching if you ignore the early signs. Something really is happening here.

You are not alone on this journey. You are accompanied by your higher consciousness, a part of you that has survived intact. More importantly, you are sharing this journey with your Creator; you may recognize this as your soul. This is the source of those warning shots. It is an alarm attempting to wake you up, asking you to make a change now. This part of you has made a decision. No longer willing to continue on a path that has veered so far from the one filled with hope and promise that accompanied you into life, you are provided perhaps a final opportunity to make the necessary changes that allow your life to be enriched with things that are in your best interests offering purpose and joy, or leave.

Too many times the human response is to stand in the sands of time, firmly fixed in place, staring at the tide as it washes over your feet. The tide literally drags away the sand beneath you. This is a reflection of the years passing by being pulled from beneath you, disappearing forever. Life may seem not to be fair or that your path was more difficult. Why, why you wonder? Why did it work out this way, why did things never change? The answer of course is because you never changed. Even when the warnings came you survived them and returned to the sameness that was suffocating the best that you could become. Why?

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It's Only Words

Words are power tools in our box of life skills. They can enslave or free us and even set us on fire! That's powerful; when something so innocuous can carry enough force to shape the future of other people it's important to understand how to use them. Sometimes it isn't even the words so much as how you say them; meanings change based on the emphasis behind them. Look at how things change with these two simple words; pret-ty good or pretty good! One implies things could get way better while the other says things are great, yet they are exactly the same words. The meaning behind them is as important as the words themselves.

Words that enslave us tap into inner fears. These are words that are intended to tear us down or make us feel bad about ourselves. They are the bullying words of 'You're stupid, ugly, fat, undesirable... ' they are the words that make adults cringe and run back to the dark to hide from the pain. They are the same words that destroy the foundation of children rendering them incapable of loving themselves or life. These words spring form the darkest part of humanity typically flung at us from someone who feels very threatened by us for no obvious reason.

Words that free us originate from a loving acceptance that encourages us to press on, to believe in ourselves and our dreams. They are the words of hope; they heal, uplift and inspire us. They frequently form a launch pad to greater accomplishments. When words free us they are providing answers and assurances about something we did not understand or doubted. They prompt us to believe in what we felt was truth.

Words that set us on fire touch the deepest parts of our emotions; some fear based inspiring anger and some faith-based. The faith-based affirm something that matters deeply to us, many times generating new ideas that allow us to pursue a dream we have held tightly to. When words inspire creativity or hope they connect with the place where we have faith in the goal. Those that cause fear touch the place where we hide what we believe is deficient in us.

They are all only words; how valuable are they? Consider that communication skills are at the top of the list for those who are charged with making decisions about hiring and granting salary increases and promotions. They are the basis of every summary about who a person was in life, because they defined who they were. It's only words, but they can create so many different conclusions in the lives we touch.

If you are unsure about how you want to say something, decide what effect you want to achieve and then you will know which words to use and how to say them. Your words will determine how you'll be remembered; they become a part of the legacy of your life.

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