What if just for today you decide that everyone you interact with knows more than you do?

What if just for today you decide that everyone you meet has your best interest in mind?

How would your day look?

Does just the idea of being non-confrontational bother you?

If just the idea of being letting others be right or being non-confrontational bothers you, then what does that say about you?

It’s easy to be so attached to your own ways of thinking that you’ve decided that you’re ideas and thoughts are right before even hearing what someone else has to say. However, doing so not only makes you less approachable but also limits your perspective.

One of the ways to widen your perspective is to remind yourself that your beliefs and thoughts are rooted in your own personal experience of life, which by definition is unique to you.

Being more open to new ideas and thoughts doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to surrender your current beliefs, it does mean that you have to temporarily suspend your beliefs in order to evaluate new information.

Allowing the ideas of others to test your personal beliefs requires a level of confidence and self-awareness because it challenges you to your core and it’s hard not become self-defensive. But while it is difficult, it’s definitely doable.

Going through life surrounding yourself with people that think and act just like you might sound like an easier path to take, but rarely allows for true personal growth. Allowing your assumptions and thoughts to be challenged can be advantageous because new perspectives broaden the lens through which you view the world.

Intellectual humility is what philosophers call the willingness to be challenged by new ideas. Essentially it means being open to change while also knowing when not to. Try it for yourself and see if it helps you widen your perspective.

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