How to set your opinions aside, and open the door to new perspectives

Whenever I read, hear, or see something new or different, I ask myself three questions.

• Is this how I think?
• Is this how I want to think?
• Can I let it in and see what happens?

That last question took some time to factor into the equation. By nature, we’re all a bit suspicious, with a tendency to dismiss ideas and concepts that stretch or challenge our accepted beliefs and values.

Yet, by setting aside snap judgments and irrational opinions, I discovered a way to create more headroom and flexibility in my thought process — as if I’d given myself permission to objectively observe the world in a completely neutral mindset. Frankly, this process didn’t just happen — or come easy. It was harder than it sounds. Because shifting away from auto-reject mode can put a lot of stress on a previously easy-by-default life.

Each of us experiences our own individual perception of reality, typically the result of cataloging, comparing, dissecting details, and forming opinions — good or bad, real or imagined. And by taking off our internal blinders, we can give ourselves permission to consider new concepts, ideas, and knowledge without bias or discrimination.

And then . . . something wonderful begins to happen.

Read the full story in Real Life …

In health and happiness,

Jill Reid

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