Before we look at the gifts of keeping an open mind, let’s look at the main obstacle to it, namely “stinking thinking’.
The Stinking Mode of Thinking
“He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” Michel de Montagne
The term “stinking thinking” is attributed to the American psychologist, Albert Ellis. He was referring to the human tendency to not just engage in negative thinking, but to get stuck in the muck of it. In other words, a tendency to ruminate or think in a cyclic fashion.
Of course, once stuck, it takes a concerted effort to dig oneself out of this destructive frame of mind.
Here are some examples of stinking thinking:
- Taking one failure, misstep or mistake and generalize it to the whole of our existence.
- Continually berating ourselves for past mistakes and oversights – real, exaggerated or imagined.
- Taking responsibility for events that are outside our control, leading to a destructive cycle of self-blame and shame.
- Seeing our situation as hopeless and that we are useless in exercising any power over it.
- Constantly engaging in negative self-talk, for example: I’m stupid; I’m a failure; I’m a fool; I’m bad; I deserve to suffer.
- Viewing every setback, even a very minor one, as a tragedy or a catastrophe.
And so on and so forth
This continuous state of negative thinking harms our mental health and potentially our physical health. It induces in us a kind of paralysis of the mind and body. And, ironically, we suffer all of the painful consequences that we were fearing from the start.
However there is another way of being and living that is in stark contrast to this brand of bad thinking and that is to keep an open mind about what is possible.
You see, sometimes things just work out despite our worst fears
Keeping an Open Mind
“An open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought in it.” Mark Twain
There are many benefits to keeping an open mind. For example:
- When we keep an open mind, the door opens to possibility,
- When we keep an open mind, we are better able to see sources of help and inspiration
- When we keep an open mind, it easier to perceive the path forward — or even a side road that might lead to interesting opportunities.
- When we keep an open mind, we create a field of positive energy around us. Experimental studies tell us that positive energy attracts and negative energy repels.
- When we keep an open mind, we can more easily accept and then adapt ourselves to what is.
- When we keep an open mind, we change our brain chemistry, enabling us to adjust more easily to change and uncertainty.
- When we keep an open mind, in the very least, we save ourselves a ton of mental pain and anguish.
In Summary
As bad as things might seem, in the end, we don’t 100% know how things will work out. In my experience and observation, our imagination is limited and very often misleading.
Also in my experience and observation, an open mind doesn’t just arrive on our doorstep in a beautifully wrapped package. An open mind is a gift we give ourselves through the daily practice of shifting our thinking from the negative to the positive. For example, we might replace a negative thought with a positive one (e.g. changing “I’ll fail.” to “I’ll give it my best shot.”). Subtle, but effective.
By committing to a daily practice of positive thinking, in other words keeping an open mind, we can change both our outlook and our brain for the better.
“Some of your hurts you have cured, And the sharpest you’ve even survived, but what torments of grief you’ve endured, from evils which never arrived.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” Albert Camus
