Be open minded

Traditionally, being open-minded means being tolerant or a willingness to be receptive to others’ opinions, thoughts, and feelings. I like to add a third meaning. My meaning is to leave preconceived thoughts at the door. Recently, I attended my 30th College reunion. As an aside, it is amazing how seeing others who have aged more than you, gained more weight than you, and are not as far as a long in their careers as you thought they would be, can make you feel good about yourself (Sorry!).

What if I went into reunion thinking that the people I knew (my class had about 500 students) were the same as they were in college? If I didn’t like you in college, I still wouldn’t like you. However, I didn’t do it, and I reconnected with some amazing women.

“Being more open-minded means embracing new ideas, experiences, and perspectives. It can widen your world—even when it sometimes challenges your old ways of thinking and doing things. It's not just about being tolerant of opposing ideas; it's all about staying curious and adaptable in an ever-changing world. It allows you to gracefully manage relationships, make accurate decisions, and learn new things that can help you grow as a person.” — Kendra Cherry, VeryWell Mind

Wine flowed, memories and updates did too. This holds true for any in-person event— holidays with your partner’s family, BBQs at your neighbors or weekends with friends.  The hard part is to maintain an open mind. “To maintain an open mind, we have to strategically work at it. Though our brains may be wired against us, we can change the way we think over time. If you want to expand your observations, you first need to start paying attention.” (Kristi Hedges, Forbes). You can start small by noticing new things in your surroundings as you walk and/or drive your neighborhood. The more you take the time to notice new things, ideas, and opinions, the more open-minded you become. I plan to still have this attitude in 5 years when I am back for the 35th reunion (and I hope my classmates will too).