What does the term being open mean to you? For some people, being open means being open to thinking differently, open to change and therefore creating different results in life from the ones they are currently getting. When we are open to new possibilities and creating a life we choose it becomes much easier to be happy in life.
Now amidst all the current changes, challenges and choices of 2020, the term being open has never been more inviting as it is right now. That is because there are two main emotions humans experience; Love and Fear. With feeling Love, comes open thinking, while feeling Fear results in closed thinking. From open thinking comes courage, vision and the ability to adapt in a changing world. Left unchecked closed thinking leads to worry, stress and even ill health.
It is so easy to become closed in our thinking so that we close our minds to open thinking. And thinking openly allows our hearts to be open, especially with ourselves. One of the most challenging yet cathartic ways I have ever been open with myself, was to write my own life story. I say challenging because as a relatively private guy, I felt vulnerable exposing my thoughts and experiences on paper for others to read. After all, this is not how my generation was brought up for fear of looking, ‘weak in a man’s world’. But that was exactly what I did do, if only to overcome fears of being open with myself and judgement by others. I discovered it was one of the most cathartic, liberating and freeing things I have ever done. Doing so was as much of a challenge to be open with myself, never mind anyone else; warts and all. For me it turned out to be self revealing as well as self healing from past events. In some way, what previously seemed confused thinking, morphed into clarity and valuable life lessons I gradually accepted and chose to be grateful for. It certainly beats regret and anger!
When I wrote and shared my story ‘Finding My Truth’ my readers, to my pleasant surprise, all seemed to get something beneficial from it. This gave me satisfaction and a useful reminder that we can all learn from each other in a helpful way if we open up to ourselves and others. It is very easy to assume that if we bottle up all our thoughts, we somehow keep ourselves safe. In fact, very often the opposite is true. An ability to open up (even if only in a private therapy session) is a strength and positive thing to do because we learn to release negative thoughts and allow our mental health to be stronger and more positive. You may be aware that only this week celebrities such as ITV’s Dr Alex (an NHS Doctor) and Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy are promoting the importance of looking after mental health and the importance of being open.
Thankfully people, especially men are increasingly more willing to come forward and openup as they understand the importance of looking after their mental health. Going are the days where it is seen as a sign of weakness or failure, something to be embarrassed about. I truly believe that throughout the latter months of 2020 the ability to express our inner thoughts, more openly, is the greatest and most wonderful gift we can give ourselves. Sometimes we need assistance to do so but living in a fast changing world, it is essential we learn how to be open, accepting and forgiving with ourselves.
When we can understand how to be open, our present and future look much more promising, progressive and happy.