The Power of an Open Mind from the e-book Become the Boss of You.

As we elaborated in a previous blog post on open-mindedness, our e-book “Become the Boss of You” explores various topics. Open-mindedness shines bright for the most practical of us.

In the book, we ask you to consider an open mind and a positive attitude as secret weapons on your journey. We also mention that the ability to be open-minded often leads to what some consider good luck since an open mind in preparation can lead to opportunistic outcomes. Yet, some only look at the surface of things, and therefore some may not see it as important.

The deeper we examine the attitudes that makeup open-mindedness, the more we discover that these ideas are influential mental frameworks that significantly impact our lives. They drive us toward success or hinder our progress, operating quietly in the background and guiding our thoughts. However, if we become aware of these attitudes, we can illuminate ourselves and take control of our lives.

A specific and effective way to take charge of our outcomes is to cultivate an open mind and avoid the attitudes known as “time traps” discussed in the book. These mindsets consume our time and, thus, our lives. They also arise from a pessimistic view of time and life.

Overcoming negativity can be like meeting a bear in the woods – it’s a tough spot to find yourself in. That’s because it’s wired deep into our “animal brain”! But fear not, for we can rise like superheroes by putting self-improvement on our to-do lists to flip our mindset like a pancake.

Embracing can take dedication at the start. It takes awareness of those pesky time traps as well. Trust me, negativity is not the only bear we meet in life, and when life shows you a bear, you want to be able to unleash your best survival self. You want the ability to focus on what you need to do to win. The big rocks of life, like the bear, take laser focus. Think of this focus as your secret stash of cash: the more you invest in it, the bigger the payoff! As I like to say, “Attention rewards us in proportion to the attention we give.” I shall Dogood

One more way to emphasize the significance of cultivating an open-minded perspective is by revisiting our analysis of The Wizard of Oz and The Lord of the Rings. Dorothy’s willingness to accept assistance from Glinda proved beneficial, showcasing the value of an open mind. Similarly, Frodo demonstrated an open-minded approach by valuing Gandalf’s guidance. Both characters were able to unlock their potential thanks to their attitudes. As effective leaders, we should strive to be receptive to life’s support.

It is hard to deny that open-mindedness helps us to adapt to new ideas and growth opportunities, but it is deeper than that. Without being open-minded, we may never see new ideas in the first place. Yet, once we get traction on improving our attitude of open-mindedness, it compounds like any other mental tool we sharpen. Yes, tools can improve each other as they gain momentum.

For example, what if you gain general and individual time management awareness along your journey? At that point, you have more time to set your course in life. This extra time can be used to allow you to become open-minded and more aware of your attitudes, and some attitudes are probably holding you back. You can start to see ways to unfold your dreams as you improve open-mindedness to improve these mental tools. As brainstorming your desires strengthens, so does your tool of awareness. Cool right! So, buckle up; it’s going to be fun.

In the spirit of developing our open-mindedness, I am adding one of the sections I call my “No Bullshit Zones” from my book with some minor paraphrasing to fit in context with this blog.

Warning — No Bullshit Zone Ahead

It has been said that the rational mind is like a lawyer. It will argue for either side. It is wise to be aware of negative thinking in our logical minds. Self-perception is pivotal in anyone’s journey of personal development. We must come to terms with the fact that mental habits define us. We must also come to understand that we can change them.

If we are not open-minded enough to change, we limit our self-image. How we see our possibilities will be stuck in the setting of our current abilities. They stay there. Then they still stay there. Then, a traffic jam stops your progress because your negative GPS shows you no alternate route. You will have to wait until the accidents of life clear themselves up for improvement to be possible.

I had a friend who started to see that he could take actions that allowed him to see himself as the boss of his life. He saw he could take charge. Even after he became aware of this potential ability, he procrastinated by delaying action. His habits continued to let life rule him. Things only started to turn around once he became open-minded enough to change some of his habitual behavior.

“Our rational thinking, like the mind itself, is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.” Robin Sharma

A great hack to gaining more open-mindedness is celebrating any improvement in positive attitude and open-mindedness. I find this is best done by journaling. Anyone familiar with my work knows I think journaling is the easiest way to get traction on finding out what you want in life. It also is a great way to keep us centered in gratitude and celebration. It is no accident that our Journal Workbook stresses documenting success almost every night.

I will leave links for the e-book and the journal workbook at the end of the blog for anyone who has not already picked up these great aids to your journey.

With celebrating growth and the tool of gratitude in mind, this is a perfect time to remind you of the ways we mentioned in the blog entitled “Open-mindedness Part 1” to help you. Below are the highlights, but the entire article is worth a re-read. So please do.

13 easy starts to increase open-mindedness

• Celebrate Achievements: Part 1 talks about celebrating small steps that can grow from a seedling into a mighty oak.
• Embrace Open-mindedness: Part 1 will remind you about new ideas, perspectives, daily tasks, brainstorming sessions, and diverse viewpoints.
• See Yourself as a Leader: Part 1 tells you how to identify with and admire the good boss in you.
• Overcome Negativity: Take charge of your mental environment to shift to a positive attitude gradually.
• Journal the Winning Game: A game outlined in the book “Become the Boss of You.” It will help you celebrate your progress and achievements.
• Journal your Benefits in Depth: In “Become the Boss of You, ” utilize the deep-dive journaling technique. This method aids in creating a roadmap for self-improvement in areas you wish to develop.
• Broaden Your Horizons Intentionally: Part 1 gives examples of broadening horizons, embracing the new, and seeing the overlooked.
• Reflect on your recent intense interactions: Assessing your speaking versus listening ratio.
• Consider the perspectives of friends or family members: How would they describe you?
• Being open-minded can enhance your reputation as honest and reliable: People appreciate actively listening.
• Nurture empathy: Boost empathy by strengthening understanding, acceptance, active listening, and open-mindedness.
• Acknowledge that you may not be an expert: Avoid being a know-it-all to foster a more enriching exchange.
• Avoid the cognitive bias of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Let’s not overestimate our knowledge.

We talk about open-mindedness as a tool because it is! It’s also an attitude, and we tend to see attitudes as quirky vibes that just are. We think they are unchangeable, like gravity, but that is untrue.

We can identify an attitude, start working it out to make it fit, dress it up to look better, and consciously put it into action. It can be cleaned, polished, and made like a shiny new laptop ready to work its magic! Attitudes act like filters that shape how we see the world. We can decide how we want them to act for us. They influence how others perceive us.

I’ll end with a mention of Jose! He’s a pal I mention in my book. He was blissfully unaware that his sunny disposition had a few cloudy patches. He rocked positivity when it came to tackling lengthy to-do lists. His productivity made him believe he was a positive guru. But guess what? Jose sucked at embracing fresh ideas. He also missed the universe’s memo about what he truly wanted. Thankfully, with the magic of our book’s principles, he realized that those pesky attitudes were just tools waiting to help him build a brighter tomorrow!

Best of luck on your journey towards greater open-mindedness.

Peace, I shall Dogood.

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Get the inspiring eBook: Become The Boss Of You: A No Bullshite Guide – Kindle edition by Dogood, Ishall—self-Help Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Journal workbook:  https://www.amazon.com/Workbook-Become-Boss-Ishall-Dogood/dp/B0D12BQB9Y/