Flex up on your thinking

Don't you just detest the arrogance of those people who think they know all there is to know about the point you are trying to make.

You know when you are conveying an idea to someone, or you are trying to channel a person to consider something from a different angle. However they are too busy stomping over your input with their output which is at best incomplete. Yes the passionate ignoramus! Rigid, inflexible, crystallized in their thinking. They have a response to what has not even been said; and when they speak their ignorance is duly exposed. Teenagers are very good at this. They know everything - so they think. So when having a conversation with a teenager about any topic - leave them to insist on delivering their 360 degree knowledge - I guarantee you they will only get to 90 at best, and if they are really savvy 145!

If you think you have all the answers - you haven't. That is it - why? Because we all have something to learn, and our minds cannot cover all the bases. If you think you have all the answers, you may as well hibernate, because you cannot be helped - so you will be forgotten quickly. Next!

If you want to get the most out of life - you need to be flexible in your thinking. You must be open and aware. Life is dynamic; and so must your thinking. We cannot know what life will come to us with, but if we have an open mind we are in a better vantage point than if we have it all 'figured out'.

The Rules of Life (Templer, 2006) gives us a clear illustration. " The instant you have established yourself in a set pattern, you have set yourself up to be knocked of course" He goes on to encourage a close examination of our thinking. "Flexible thinking is like mental martial arts - being able to duck and weave, dodge and flow. Try to see life not as the enemy but as the friendly sparring partner. If you are flexible you will have fun stand your ground you are likely to get knocked about a bit".

If you are given an opportunity to get outside your own way of doing things, your own thinking - grab it with both hands - see how it pans out. You may not know it but it is a diamond opportunity.

Here are a couple of examples offered by Richard Templar on how you can test the flexibility of your thinking:

1. What sort of books do you read? Are they they same books you have been reading for the past few years?
2. Have you found yourself saying things like 'I don't know any people like that' or 'I don't go to those kind of places'
   

If this sounds familiar then it is time. Time to broden your mind and take the shackles of your thinking.