How to develop openness? This is a concern that so many people are interested in. Especially those who want to improve their lives, to make their relationship with others alive and enjoyable, to live better, and make sense of their lives. No one can taste the happiness of life, see the many colors of life, discover the different horizons of life, appreciate the value of life, know the joy of life – if it is not open to mind.
While some want to be open-minded, others think about how to develop their open-mindedness. However, it goes without saying. In everything, there is a way not only that but also a certain course of action to adopt when one wants to achieve a goal or realize a desire.
In this article, we respond to the following questions: How to develop openness? How to keep an open mind?
There are many ways to break free from our ego and to enjoy the strength of an open mind, but it’s a lifetime job. So here are some tips: adjust your perspectives and broaden your horizons to have and develop openness.
I – How to Develop Openness? Adjust Your Perspectives.
If we want to make the most of our potential for success in our personal relationships, in business, or in life in general, it is important to be open-minded and flexible. The best is not to limit oneself to oneself, because there is an infinity of things that we can do or reach if we open our eyes to finally see everything that is within our reach.
We are all more or less accustomed to certain small rituals, to a routine that leads us to perceive things only in black and white because we are comfortable with our way of thinking.
However, the world is full of color, nuances, and the possibilities are endless. But of course, opening ourselves to an unknown world is a challenge, which is why we are sometimes afraid.
If we are open-minded about all the possibilities open to us, we will see that life has much more to offer than we think, because opportunities abound everywhere. We must learn to think differently, and follow the following tips:
1 – Test Yourself and Learn to Think Further Than the Tip of Your Nose.
From time to time, it is good for us to get out of our “comfort zone”. You have to get out of your prejudices, change your magnifying glass, and your ways of thinking. Try to put yourself in the place of others to be able to apprehend life from another angle, another aspect, another facet…
It is essential to understand that everything is connected, and your ability to anticipate and think about the future can be of great help to you. This kind of thinking is the only way for how to develop openness?
2 – Do Not Denigrate Anything until You Have Tried It.
Closed-minded people are known to form opinions of things they have never tried. They can hate this pizzeria without even having entered it or think that the vegetarian movement is stupid without ever having tried. So the next time you find yourself having a negative opinion of something, ask yourself what evidence supports your ideas.
– If you find that there is absolutely no evidence to support your case, and then try this thing yourself before saying anything.
– If your only evidence comes from biased sources, like your favorite blogger or your best friend, who agrees with everything you say, then that does not really matter.
3 – Learn to Examine Each Situation from Different Angles.
This is easier said than done, of course. Let’s say you are politically leftist and support the tax hike. You probably think that your way of thinking is the best and you do not have to change it, but read arguments from the other side to understand what these people are saying. You may discover that they also have very good ideas and if they are not, you will be comforted in your opinion because they are well informed.
– Find out about how other countries are governed. The United States could learn a thing or two from Sweden and vice versa. Seeing how other people are doing things can give you a better understanding of any situation, whether it’s combating crime, managing adoptions, or providing a better and cheaper care system.
– Let’s say you’re a Catholic or Protestant or evangelical practicing or whatever. Can you try to read about other religions or understand why someone might not believe in God at all? Make a list of these reasons and see if they make it easier for you to understand a different perspective. This does not mean that you should change your mind, but it will help you to have a more open vision.
4 – Change Your Habits.
People who are closed-minded tend to do the same thing every day because they are convinced that they would not be happy doing something different, having a different breakfast or taking a different route to the office. Just do that. Do not eat the same cheese croissant and choose oatmeal and fruit salad. Do not go to the gym after work, try running in the morning. And do not come directly from work or school, instead spend time with colleagues or friends.
– You’ll be surprised at how fast you start seeing the world in a different way when you get out of the daily routine.
– Routine is a way to bring order and stability into your life and there is nothing wrong with that. But if you want to open your mind, making changes from time to time will show you that there is more than one way to live your life.
– Let’s say you plan on staying at home all weekend watching all the seasons of TV series or soap operas. Your friend invites you to his country house at the last minute: if you want to begin to change your life for the better and be more open to new experiences, you’d better say yes.
5 – Embrace the Unknown.
If you want to be more open-minded, then the first thing to do is to kiss something that is totally foreign to you. Of course, this may seem very broad, but the unknown can really be something as simple as taking a different path to work, eventually accepting a coffee with your neighbor, or seeing a director’s film which you have never heard of. To be open-minded, try to kiss a new unknown thing every week or even every day.
– You have never tried this new restaurant in town because you do not know what to expect? It’s time to go for a ride.
– Have you avoided signing up for this literature course that interests you because you do not know anything about romantic poetry? Throw yourself.
6 – Put a Little More in Question.
Who said that we have to accept things like the system and the others present them? If something bothers you or intrigues you, do not hesitate to question it.
7 – Do Not Be Afraid to Be Wrong.
We all have to take risks from time to time because it’s good for us. If you are too demanding of yourself or are afraid to make mistakes, you will never do anything.
8 – Allow Others to Inspire Us.
Openness is very much linked to humility. Those who think they know everything will never learn from others, and never question their ideas or beliefs.
In Partial Summary
It is necessary to think differently to free oneself from one’s own limits. People who are open-minded are more likely to reach their full potential in life because they dare to take risks, they launch, they explore, and never settle for the easy way out.
Open-minded people are inveterate explorers, nonconformists in the good sense of the word, and are always ready to learn from others.
Remember that most of humanity’s achievements and successes have been carried out by people who enjoyed the strength of an open mind, who questioned the boundless world.
In short, one cannot have and develop an open mind if one does not seek to adjust one’s perspectives. However, it is not only by adjusting our perspectives but also by broadening our horizons. How to have and develop openness by broadening our horizons? In the following lines, we will look at it!
II – How to Develop Openness? : Broaden Your Horizons
The world is not limited to you. The world does not revolve around you. The world is not yours alone. You are not the center of the world either, and you are not alone in this world. Admit that there are horizons other than yours. “The world is a set of curtains whose curtains hide lives, realities and truths” (Thomson Dablemond). “The world is a world where everyone is in his world” (Thomson Dablemond) … That’s why if you want to have an open mind: lift your curtains, and find out what other curtains hide.
1 – Cultivate Yourself.
If you want to be more open-minded, you will need to broaden your horizons in every possible way. Cultivating is a broad idea and you can do it by going to school, attending evening classes or online or just reading more books and watching tutorials to learn how to do things. The more you are cultivated, the less likely you are to have a biased vision.
– Being more cultured will make you someone better informed and less inclined to form narrow opinions.
– Being cultivated will also help you stay in your position if you want to debate and this will help you to be more open to the point of view of the person you are arguing with.
2 – Read More.
It’s hard to be open-minded without reading. You should read frequently: true stories, literary fiction, magazines, newspapers, blogs or any other kind of media, enrich your life and make you understand that there are endless ways to live and enjoy life… Read a book about a country you have never been to or a book about a political movement you do not know about. The more you know, the more power you have to make informed decisions and be open-minded.
– Sign up on a website of literary critics and try to read three books a month. See what others read and inspire.
– Spend hours at the bookstore to review the shelves until you find a book that speaks to you. Then set yourself the goal of finishing it before the end of the weekend.
– Join a reading club. This will open you up to a wider variety of literature and expose you to many different opinions.
3 – Travel as Much as Possible.
Although many people have a limited budget, you should make the habit of traveling when you can afford it. If you only have a little money to spend, just travel to a fun place a few hours away and try to learn something new. If you have more money, for example, go see the Mayan ruins in Mexico, visit the many museums of Paris or New York, spend a weekend in Montreal, discover Africa and its riches (ask your bags for example in Ivory Coast, a country located in the West of Africa), or do not miss to visit Slovenia, a true tourist country …
– If you cannot afford to travel, look at a travel channel. Although it is not as exciting as it is in real life, it will give you an idea of how people live in other countries.
– Volunteer abroad. This is a good way to take the time to explore a new place.
4 – Be Careful with Conversations about Politics and Religion.
These topics of conversation must be approached with tweezers because they are very often at the origin of discords sometimes virulent. When a conversation turns to one of these themes, it is smart to listen and learn with the least possible language. At the same time, you will expand your perspectives and discover new horizons in politics and religion.
5 – Do Not Judge Anyone until You Know Their Story.
Many people who have trouble being open-minded also tend to judge people before actually knowing them. If you tend to judge people when you have just met them or even the first time you hear about them or see them, then you will have to work to approach each new person on a case-by-case basis without judging them on their own. course, its appearance or its accent.
– This can be difficult if you are used to forming your opinions based on the appearance of people or the first 5 minutes of a conversation. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you think people could know everything about you after watching you for 5 minutes? Probably not.
– The next time you meet a new person, try to really understand his background before forming any opinion.
– You may be the kind of jealous person who instantly hates all the friends your friend brings because you are possessive. Think of it like this: if your friend appreciates this person, he must have good in it. Try to search for it.
6 – Ask a Lot of Questions to People.
If you are closed-minded, you may tend to think that you have nothing to learn from others. So the next time you meet someone new or talk to an old friend, ask them more questions than you normally would, without giving the impression of conducting an interview. Ask the person what she did this week or if she has read something interesting recently. You will be surprised at everything you could learn.
– If someone has just returned from a trip to an exotic country, ask them for details.
– If you know the person well, ask him to tell you about his childhood. You could learn some very interesting details and then learn something new.
7 – Be Friends with People Who Lead a Different Life from Yours.
If you want to be open-minded, you cannot be friends only with your five best high school friends, who all share more or less the same interests and hope to have an open view of the world. Make friends at work, at your pottery class, or in other classes at school.
– Although you do not have to pick your friends according to their diversity, try to spend time with people who have different jobs, interests, and backgrounds.
– Being friends with people from different backgrounds will allow you to have different perspectives on the world.
– If you have really eclectic friends, they might not all appreciate each other, accept it.
8 – Engage Debates with Friends.
If you have a closed mind, you may like to debate a topic because you are convinced that you are completely right. Well, the next time you find yourself in the middle of a little debate, take a curious and friendly approach. Do not present all the reasons why others are wrong and ask for different perspectives. You may not change your mind but will surely learn something new.
“You would not want to have the reputation of being the one who argues with everyone until you empty the room. Rather, be easygoing and accommodating, even if you are really passionate about the subject.
As a Conclusion on How to Develop Openness
In short, there is a multitude of ways to develop our open-mindedness and the best way remains to cultivate ever more healthy thoughts and kindness. For it is only in kindness and love that we are truly open to others, curious, and that we learn to accept and respect the people for whom they really are.
So, let’s learn to love, to observe, to listen, to smile, to give, and to receive. It is only in this way that we gradually free ourselves from our ego, which is often an obstacle to our own personal development.
And the more we free ourselves from the ego, the more we access higher degrees of openness and it is only in openness that we can pick life to our fullest. As a saying goes, “we do not pick fruit with closed hands. “