I’ve always believed that every event in some way is helping us learn something. It can be a reminder or it can be a new observation. In my opinion, no moment is ordinary or random. Every moment has its significance and can create an impact in our lives. I’ve also noticed that most times we overlook these moments and we’ve somehow stopped becoming enthusiastic about what these moments could mean to us.
When we feel that our moments have nothing to offer anymore, we automatically close the doors to opportunities and possibilities. The knowledge and information we have now can easily cause stagnation if we don’t allow ourselves to take in new experiences.
I’ve noticed this a lot with clients and the way they respond to each passing moment. The more they’re open to learning about each passing moment the more they tend to develop a growth mindset, but the more they are ignorant they tend to stay within their comfort zone and tend to have a fixed mindset. Perception plays a crucial role in our journey of growth.
When we say that we’re learning to be open, we’re inviting more enthusiasm into our lives. There is an upliftment instead of depletion. There are moments in our lives when we perceive things from a mindset that is already consumed with fear and anxiety, this can prevent us from looking at the world from a different viewpoint.
What if allow ourselves to look beyond what we already know? What if we look at the world with enthusiasm, instead?
Listen more – In my observation, we have actively stopped listening. We listen enough only so as to respond and react. And sometimes our reactions are less from a place of detailed observation and more from our own perceptions, which could be limited. Listening as a skill can always be helpful in almost any capacity. We tend to pay attention to details and that can help us look beyond what we perceive normally and naturally. The more we listen, the more we tend to get curious. Curiosity can open a lot of opportunities to learn more than what we think we already know.
Embrace Uncertainty – Even though uncertainty can be a really scary place to be in, sometimes it can allow us to be a little more perceptive. Since we don’t know what is to happen or what to expect, it can give us an opportunity to let go of biases and we can be open to different viewpoints. A lot of times our biased perspective can limit our mindsets and without realizing we tend to shut the door on growth that could be enriching in the long run.
Unlearn criticizing – It’s pretty normal to criticize and judge something that feels different and novel to us. But it always fascinates me how people can have different opinions about the same thing. I think it helps to be open when we can let go of the instant need to criticize and find ourselves more open to different opinions. This can allow us to look at the world from a completely different lens. The idea is not to accept or reject the opinion but to be open to it. Give it the benefit of the doubt in a way. In my opinion, it can be a great learning experience when we don’t mentally criticize and allow space for a difference in opinion. In doing that we can learn so much more.
Encourage connection – I think with the internet now, we’ve become less and less isolated, especially when it comes to perception and knowledge. We’ve stopped taking note of the opinions and perspectives of the people around us. And it somehow feels like we know all the answers to everything under the sun. In a way, I can see the benefits to that but I also see the downside. We’ve stopped asking questions because the internet has become our first-hand source of knowledge and with that somehow, we’re also losing an opportunity to connect with people. ‘Why ask when we can google’, has kind of become the philosophy for most of us. The more we allow ourselves to gain knowledge by connecting with people, the more included we tend to feel and we tend to become more observant and mindful.
Welcome curiosity – Based on my previous point, somewhere we’ve stopped becoming curious and we’ve started limiting our knowledge and perception to what we think we already know. Even though the world has now opened up to so much, in my opinion, we’re still in our cocoon and we’ve stopped becoming curious. Somewhere we’ve given room for a lot of competitiveness and comparison and that has taken away the enthusiasm that comes with curiosity.
When it comes to learning to be open, we need to pause and ask ourselves where are we experiencing stagnation or boredom in our lives right now. Is there something that needs change and improvement?
There is always a lot that we can learn on a day-to-day basis. And being curious can be life-changing if we’re on the path to self-growth and change.
Hope these points help you in some way.
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