Oftentimes in interviews, we’ll see famous people asked the question, “What is the best advice you have ever received?” Sometimes, people will say things like, “Be Yourself” or “Work Hard.” Taken in the abstract, this can seem trite. Without proper context, those words don’t retain their same emotional value.
Life experiences, both single and cumulative, are so personal and intimate to each individual. It’s impossible for us to place ourselves in the given moment where a life-changing or life-altering dispense of advice was given to another person.
We can open our mind to try and understand the meaning and explanation behind those words as we analyze them and see how we can apply them to our own lives.
I’ve found as I’ve matured that some phrases or proverbs have meant more to me at different times in my life than others. Many Bible passages such as the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12), implore us to live with a firm purpose of amendment and, to simply be a genuine, honest person.
“Never give up,” is a mantra which should apply to anyone who endeavors to love or achieve anything in this world. Family members and trusted advisers in my life have been instrumental in providing me with maxims to live by, such as, “Follow your heart.”
There is a great Walt Disney quote comes to mind, that my Mom and Dad are fond to tell me: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” It always begins with an idea! The fertile ground for the generation of ideas is a clear, open mind.
Eliminate Negativity
I am drawn to greater freedom of mind and clarity of thought, that involve living as open-minded of a life as I can. When we liberate ourselves from learned stereotypes, foolish negativity and discouragements of the past, we take bold steps toward becoming more open-minded.
When we live an open-minded lifestyle, we become more receptive to opportunities and more accepting of others. We experience greater peace and harmony with ourselves. I believe this is because we are proactively taking steps to become the person God intended us to be!
The open-minded person lives the mantra of, “Every adversity presents an opportunity of an equivalent advantage.” They are able to accept temporary difficulty and convert it into a more positive, emotionalized state of mind and outcome.
We can always ward off cynicism and a “know-it-all” attitude by keeping an open mind and giving every matter the attention of a fresh, new look. I believe an increase in cynicism is directly proportional to an increase in age. Once we’ve suffered, been wronged, let down, dismissed or hurt, it’s harder for us to keep an open mindset of renewal.
I urge you in these moments to think counter-intuitively- in relation to your difficult experiences- and double your trust in God and yourself. Open-mindedness is built on trust, faith and an acceptance of a call to action in our lives. Open-mindedness is the antithesis of living a life filled with anxiety, stress and intolerance.
Free your mind by leaving your worries to God. You’ll find brand new doors open simply by entertaining new possibilities.
Perseverance
If I dwell too much on the future and what I don’t have now, I lose sight of what is most important- living in the moment. By focusing only on what I haven’t yet accomplished, or what I don’t have in my life, I completely lose sight of the task at hand. As Bono would tell you:
“What you don’t have, you don’t need it now.”
God wants to show us the way. Through His omnipotent direction, we have the ability to enable our willpower to believe and carry out His plan for us. We will encounter adversity and self-doubt, though we must persevere. Self-doubt and fear have a tendency of making us look too far into the future.
A future-looking mindset is good, as long as it doesn’t consume our present. This can be the downfall of the dreamer; the person who allows their feet to lift off without maintaining balance on the ground. The differentiating factor of living a life of happiness and self-fulfillment- for so many of us- is perseverance.
When we become complacent and settle, negativity and negative emotions will pervade our being and affect how we see our path ahead. Please take note of these areas that can seem harmless but are major detriments to success, as well as short and long-term happiness!
Imagination is an integral force of the emotionally intelligent Christian mind, but not if we’re always stuck in dream mode. We can strike the right balance of using our imagination to envision our future, while persevering in the moment to secure our present. It takes resilience and courage to live with an open mind.
Come along for the journey!
Thank you so very kindly for reading. Please share your thoughts below in the Comments section and let me know what you have to say. You can check out my recent writing here: https://medium.com/@chrisdconnors
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