How to Become More Adaptive and Open-Minded

You’ve probably heard the words “we are living in unprecedented times” uttered more times in the last year than you have in your entire life. If you are anything like me, then you are probably tired of hearing the same words said over and over. You probably miss the good ol’ days when times were, well, precedented.

But, if we are being really honest with ourselves, those times never existed. Life has always been unprecedented, unpredictable, and in a constant state of change; we are the ones who had just stopped noticing it. We had forgotten that the only constant in life, is change. And the only way to survive and thrive during change is to become more adaptive and open-minded to it.

 “It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able to adapt to and to adjust best to the changing environment in which it finds itself.” – Charles Darwin

Darwin’s words ring especially true today, to survive change we must learn to become more adaptive to it. The keyword here is learning because accepting change does not come easy to us and we are even worse at adapting to it. Here are a couple of steps you can take to become more adaptive in your day to day life.

How to become more adaptive

1.Take More Risks

Taking a risk requires you to step out of the comfort of your own routine and way of life and try out something new. This forces you to face change head-on because your own actions become the catalyst for it. Start by taking small risks at first as you build your boldness and self-confidence.

2. Adopt New Thought Processes 

Human beings like routines, they make life easier and more predictable. They save us a lot of time and are good for our physical and mental well being. The only downside is they do force us to do things the same way and think about things the same way. Keeping an open mind about things and being ready to adopt new ways of thinking will help you adapt better to change in the long run.

3. Embrace Learning

In order to become more adept to change you must first be prepared to embrace the strange. Indulge your curiosity and ask questions. Seek out new adventures, new experiences, and new stories. Embrace the joy that comes from learning something new every day. Do not be so quick to utter the words “well, this is how I’ve always done it…”. Learning to become a more open-minded person will improve the quality of your life immensely. It is also an endearing quality that not many people possess.

how to be more open-minded

We have talked about the benefits of becoming more adaptive and how you can start becoming more adaptive in your life. However, one essential quality that every adaptive person needs is an open mind. Open-mindedness can be defined as receptiveness to new ideas, ways of life, and new knowledge that is outside of your usual scope of thinking. An open-minded person is in general more likable and agreeable than a closed-minded person. Keeping an open mind doe not necessarily mean that you are indecisive or lack your own conviction and beliefs. It means that you hold your own beliefs while respecting other people’s beliefs and opinions.

Characteristics of open MINDED PEOPLE

Open-minded people often display the attributes we’ve listed down below. They are:

1. More willing to listen to others before voicing their own thoughts
2. More empathetic
3. Not afraid of having their ideas challenged
4. Less likely to be offended by other people beliefs
5. Humble about their own knowledge and can admit when they are not familiar with a particular topic

Tips on how to become a more open-minded person

One of the greatest benefits of having an open mind is that it opens you up to a whole new world of possibilities. You will be able to freely meet new people and have conversations that would have previously been out of your reach. It will also contribute greatly to making you a more wholesome person.

Here are a couple of things you can do to help you become a more open-minded person:

• • • Resist your own confirmation bias. We tend to only seek out information, people, and beliefs that only align with our own. Although this makes our lives more comfortable it also contributes greatly to our close-mindedness and intolerance. You have to consciously make an effort to explore things outside of your own biases.
    • Practice Intellectual Humility- There is a saying that goes like ‘he who knows not that he knows not is a fool.’ The fact is nobody knows everything about everything there is always room to learn something new. Even if you are at the top of your field there is still much more left to learn and discover. Keep this in mind whenever you meet people, it will help open your mind up to new ideas.
    • Practice Patience. Often, it is our first instinct to jump up and argue as soon as someone says something we do not agree with. This doesn’t always bear the best results and often leads to meaningless arguments, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Instead, practice patience by learning how to become an active listener. Take in the words the other person is saying, think about them before responding. This takes time to learn but in the end, you will see that both parties will have more meaningful interactions than if you were quick to speak and not listen.

In conclusion, when we live with an open mind, we open our world to something new, to something different. We also open ourselves to new opportunities for growth. The best way to learn and grow is by allowing ourselves a different aspect of life.