Have your ever felt that you had one view of the world, but then you begin a conversation with someone and realized your perceptions are just that. Yours? You may have held some kind of strong belief, but then someone challenges that by giving you a totally different take on it. You think to yourself wow, I never thought of it that way.

Your perception starts to tilt and sway a little. What was once your most treasured beliefs, has now become a discombobulated mesh of thoughts that don’t really hold up well anymore. It’s good to take a look into another person’s mind to turn your worldview on its head.

It may feel easy to hold onto what you know, but it’s always good to expand those thoughts as well.

One thing I have started to do more and more as I get older is listening more. I find that when I listen rather than speak, I am able to hold off my own opinions and become more receptive to new ones.

Sometimes, for example, I’ll have a conversation with my mom. Although we are very similar, sometimes my mom will give me advice on how I can approach a situation differently. It is always eye opening. Not just because she is my parent, but because her experiences are different from mine, and so this opens new connections.

When we look at each interaction with a person as a way to accept new knowledge, we can become more well rounded people.

Remember, it’s okay to not know everything. It’s okay to be unsure and ask questions as well. By being curious, open minded, and listening intently we can create new dialogues to unravel. New interests can scratch that part of our brain that is itching to learn more.