Be Open – Confidence and the Personal Development Mindset

This post appeared first in the blog at my WiseWolf Personal Development Coaching Website

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE OPEN?

Personal development means being open, honest and transparent, not least with ourselves. It means being able to accept our own weaknesses and when something has gone wrong having the strength to apologize and to explain. Personal development means being open to new ideas - thoughts and opinions of others. Sometimes you need the grace to agree to disagree.

Being open is not without risk but then all personal growth is accompanied by some kind of challenge.

BUT HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT FIRST STEP?

Understand first of all that it may be a little uncomfortable and then try these tips

Try to be relaxed when discussing new ideas, rather than having an immediate reaction.
Start to challenge your own preconceptions – next time you find yourself about to express an opinion take a step back and spend a few minutes thinking through the opposite point of view. Accept you could be wrong!
Start to listen more carefully and be sure to let the other person finish speaking before you launch in. Use active or reflective listening to understand and clarify their ideas
Work on taking a different perspective. When you encounter a new idea do some real research and make sure you understand it, before you express a view.
Spend some time with a community that has a different culture from your own– you could do this through volunteering
Learn a new skill or take up a new hobby and, as you are learning, work on being honest and open when you make mistakes
Encourage your family, your friends and your work colleagues to tell you honestly what they think and then value what they say. Don’t punish them for thinking differently to you.
Next time you get something wrong, find someone to tell and ‘fess up – tell them the truth and practice saying sorry.
Learn to accept uncertainty – for lots of big questions there are no perfect answers – that is life. Having a personal development mindset means we learn to accept life as it really is.

Start to be open and enhance you personal development today!

I would love to hear about your progress and, if you need support from a coach, you know where to find me!

Wendy Mason is a Life and Career Coach. She helps people have the confidence they need to be successful at work and to change career. You can email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com

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