Be Open Minded to New ideas and Embrace Fear

 Summary:     This article describes the opportunities that can come into our lives when we open our minds to the realm of possibility.    Find out what can happen when we embrace fear for what it is – the Opportunity for Growth.

As we go about our work each day we should keep our minds open to new ideas and possibilities.Life is about learning and developing new skills and experiencing new opportunities - and by opening our minds to possibilities we leave ourselves ready and able to hear and see opportunities that a more limiting mind may be denied.        

We need to ask ourselves the question – Are we ready and willing to change our behavior in order to widen our minds to possibilities? For instance, if we are poor listeners are we ready and willing to make the necessary changes in behavior that will allow us to hear new ideas and thereby experience new possibilities.    What possibilities are we missing out on because of having closed minds? It is not just “ideas” we miss out on when we consider this across all areas of our lives –  this could include opportunities that will bring us laughter, joy, happiness and love into our lives.When we approach each area of our life with positive expectation and flexibility it opens up a whole range of possibilities for us to enjoy.

We should also be prepared to encounter some “fear” in our lives.When we encounter fear it is a sign that we are stretching ourselves, and therefore we are learning and growing. Many people avoid fear because it gives us that terrible feeling in the pit of our stomach. Recognise fear for what it is – it is the Opportunity for Growth!! If we never experience fear we are not stretching ourselves.

When we resist fear we are stifling growth. If we meet fear head on, our lives will become more expansive and our new learning experiences will enable us to thrive and flourish.  We cultivate fear on our journey through life partly because we are afraid to fail. What we need to realize is that failure is part of our journey to success. Many very successful business people have failed many times before going on to create extremely successful businesses.

There is a saying “the Teacher arrives when the student is ready”.  Every person and every opportunity is a “teacher” (learning experience) for us – we learn from positive experiences and we learn from negative experiences – just as we learn from negative people and positive people. For example – if we exceed the speed limit when driving we receive a fine – we can learn from that negative experience and decide not to speed in the future, or we can continue to speed and keep receiving the same negative result. Children learn in similar ways.When parents praise their child for doing something well the child will continue to try to make repeat attempts at the task before them, thereby developing their skills and enhancing their interest in exploring new possibilities. They may fall down many times along their journey however their persistence will eventually gain positive results.

Like the children we once were, we need to continue to approach life with open minds and fearless spirits believing in our ability to persist and eventually succeed in any endeavour we undertake.

HASTEN THE CHANGE to the Confident YOU – Use A Visual Simulator !!

Barbara Elisjones explains how we can change our beliefs and be the person we wish to be.   Barbara operates a recruitment company in Sydney, Australia and is a trainer in personal development.


How can we hasten the change in our beliefs in order to build our confidence and self esteem?       All our beliefs have been developed gradually over many years – therefore it will take time to develop new beliefs.   However, we can further the emergence of the new YOU by regularly repeating positive affirmations. See article - "Are you lacking confidence and self assurance?"

We can also improve our confidence by using Visualising techniques.    You have probably seen or heard that when flight pilots develop new skills they use a flight simulator to do this.     This is because the simulator is able to replicate exact experiences the pilot will encounter when at the controls of an aircraft.    Similarly we can use our imagination to act as a simulator to enforce positive experiences and beliefs which we can then replicate in real life.    

Take time each day to visualize yourself being the person you want to be.    For example, if you lack confidence in social situations you may wish to visualize yourself walking into a room full of people – shaking hands, smiling and chatting in a relaxed manner.     Whilst visualizing this scene feel that friendly relaxed energy that you would like to enjoy, rather than stress and anxiety and sweaty hands you may presently experience.  Note your heart beating at a normal steady rhythm (not pounding), and feel the lovely inner glow you would like to experience when meeting these new people, and smile and nod to verify your interest in what they have to say.   You will be simulating an experience of someone you would like to be – as though you already have these social skills.

Keep repeating these exercises across all areas of your life until you become that confident and relaxed person you have visualised.   The more you bring all the feelings and emotions to the exercise the greater and sooner the improvement.

As you develop your self esteem you will find that you start attracting new and different people into your life and you will start thinking more positively about yourself and others.    Next week we will discuss the importance of mixing with positive people.   We will look at the people who will assist you in your journey to find the new confident YOU.