How to be More Open

Written By Colēgia

Being open to things is one of the best qualities we can have. It can give us the opportunity for new experiences along with meeting others. Sometimes there are mental barriers we need to address in order to do this. Today we want to talk about how to be more open and why this is important.

Promote Honesty

Honesty is one of the most effective ways when it comes to being open. Many of us may feel a need to hide certain aspects of ourselves around others. While it's fine to put your best foot forward, that shouldn't come at the cost of authenticity. Respect and trust are both mutual concepts and it's much easier to promote both when we are honest upfront. A good way to work on this is by speaking your mind. It can be difficult to be sincere in certain situations but in many cases, it's more of a matter of how you say something. This can still get your point across in a respectful manner which helps both sides have multiple perspectives. A good mantra is that honest conflict can be more valuable than dishonest peace. What this means is that the truth often leads to the best possible result.

“Honesty is one of the most effective ways when it comes to being open.”

Listen to Others

Another key element with being open is the ability to listen to others. Being able to listen to viewpoints outside of your own is a sign of emotional maturity along with having excellent communication skills. This kind of practice is good because it gives you the chance to build empathy as well. Active listening is one such example of this since it focuses intently on what the other person is trying to convey. This can help us be more aware of subtle messages that people are communicating while also allowing us to be more attentive. With this in mind, considering how we feel about a topic that's being told is also important. Sometimes we may find ourselves disagreeing with what someone is saying. Instead of trying to convince them we're right, we can opt to engage in a dialogue. This can shift things in a manner where both sides are trying to reach the truth rather than imposing another viewpoint.

“Another key element with being open is the ability to listen to others.”

Be Confident With Trying Things

The last area that we can work on is to be confident with trying things. The comfort zone can often be limiting at times because it can prevent us from trying new experiences. Being open involves a healthy amount of experimentation since some of the best results often happen spontaneously. One example of this can be going out with your friends and learning a new sport or watching a new movie. Both of these give you the chance to spend time with people you care about while appreciating an activity that may be a bit different than you're used to. Having a sense of confidence and ease is good since it can give you the courage to step outside of your comfort zone.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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