Cultivating Openness w/ Creative Director H Hassan
Most people would like to be more open than they are right now. It’s a good feeling to know that you are able to talk to somebody about things we're concerned about.
And being able to be open is one of the best ways to invite others to also be open about themselves.
What you share about yourself should encourage others to come in, so to speak, and make contact with you. To involve themselves with you. Being open is difficult. It makes us feel vulnerable, psychologically naked and usually anxious. But it also is important in terms of really letting others get to understand how we think, how we feel and what we believe.
Being open with others isn't always easy..
We often hide our inner thoughts and feelings because we're concerned if they'll be accepted by other people. But we also shut out other people from knowing and accepting us by not being open. By not being open with others, we're really saying we don't fully accept ourselves. We're denying ourselves that chance to speak out, to declare our inner thoughts and feelings.
It's up to you to decide just how you're going to talk about yourself and what you're going to say. Telling somebody where you bought that new pair of shoes might be one way of being open. However, it might be more meaningful to share why clothes are important to you. What is it about those pair of shoes that is important to you?
Being open is a two-way street..
Becoming open also means becoming open to what others are saying and sharing about themselves. Learning to be a good listener. It’s about being open minded about what the other person is sharing about their feelings. Being sensitive to their feelings and understand the topics importance to them and them trusting you with this feeling or thought.
In an increasingly polarised world, being able to step outside your comfort zone and consider other perspectives and ideas is important.
Cultivate openness..
Creating a positive environment that gives room for change, open discussing and feedback is a great place to start. Many people want to know other peoples values, beliefs, and what motivates their decisions and actions.
Sometimes new information requires rethinking the things you thought you knew. It requires reevaluating your memories and past experiences in light of what you’ve learned. In order to do this, you have to be able to set aside your judgments, take a serious look at the new evidence or information, and admit that maybe you were wrong all along.
That process can be difficult, confusing, and sometimes painful or life-changing.
People often respect you for what you know, but they'll love you for your vulnerabilities. For us creating a culture of openness is the act of letting the little cracks of uncertainty through shine through and becoming aware but comfortable with all that which we might not know or understand, and responding with our curiosity, attention and empathy.
It’s only with this openness that we can learn and grow together. Sometimes what seems like an obsolete approach turns out to be useful or relevant when our own perspective changes.
Use this opportunity to create room for change and allow room for new perspectives, knowledge, people, and experiences.
ph \ Grace Wales Bonner
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