I am open-minded

         "Until the mind is open, the heart stays closed.  The open mind is the key to the open heart." 

                                                                                                                                    -Byron Katie

        I remember as a teenager thinking I had a good grasp on things, I was really stubborn back then too.  I never liked to admit I was wrong either.  My ego was out of hand, though I did like the confidence I had in my certainty.  The older I got, the more I realized the vast ocean of knowledge that I didn't in fact know.  These days I tend to think things through, ask multiple people their opinions, and then mull over my thoughts some more.  As much as I try to educate myself on what is going on around the world, my viewpoint is still limited to my personal experiences.  Nowadays, I find it is a balance between listening to others viewpoints while staying true to myself.  Helped to learn that it was okay not to know the answer to something.

        Being open-minded doesn't mean that one is wishy-washy about their own beliefs and knowledge, it can be about just trying to understand where another person is coming from, and to do this with empathy and compassion.  Being open-minded can be about taking advice from an instructor, doesn't mean it will necessarily work for you, but it can still guide you to the desired outcome by making you think in a different way than you would have before.  Being open-minded can be about trying new experiences: new food, new places, meeting new people, trying new activities, etc..  For me, being open-minded has also been about accepting people at face value.  What I mean by this is, I don't know what is going on in another person's life, so I give people the benefit of the doubt, instead of judging, or coming up with conclusions right away.  

         I can still be fairly closed-minded and stubborn for sure, but I'm still growing myself.  I've come a long way from my youth, and definitely see the world through different lenses.  Biggest change is I see things through more compassion and empathy now.