Open Minded?

I was going to talk again about how most people would say they're open-minded when they're anything but, and I ran across an article about ten traits that truly open-minded people share. In the interest of calibration and trying to make sure my views are as close to the actual facts as possible, I'll go over the traits and see if they apply to me, and I'll be objective. Just for fun I'll do it cold. I'll just wing this bitch and I bet I'll nail it. Let's find out.

1. They are willing to accept. It doesn't say exactly what they're willing to accept, and I wonder if they didn't finish the sentence or intended it to mean everything, but it goes on to say that basically we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I've been all about that forever. I'd say in general I'm a very accepting person.

2. They are willing to embrace change. Change is going to happen whether we like it or not, and the more we can embrace it, good or bad, the less of an adverse reaction we'll have. It's easier said than done. Many people don't like change at all. We are creatures of habit, but change is going to happen. If we can't embrace the change itself, we should at least embrace the fact that it's going to occur.

3. They have a high level of curiosity. God, yes. I want to know how EVERYTHING works, and why. I was one of those kids who used to drive the family nuts by asking questions about everything. I've said before that if I hadn't become a drummer I'd have been a scientist, and that's no joke. If there's one thing they have in common it's curiosity. I'm a very curious person. Ha, literally and figuratively. 

4. They are willing to try new things. Duh.

5. They don't judge. No one can say they don't judge, because it's a survival instinct, but we can be aware of that and try not to be judgmental. If I'd been judgmental all my life, I'd never have made some of the amazing friends I've had. 

6. They're open to others' opinions. Absolutely. I harp on that all the time. If you can't bring yourself to consider someone else's opinion, at least respect it. You just might learn something, no kidding. 

7. They respect people's differences. Of course. Our differences, within reason, are what make us interesting. Our differences allow us to share knowledge, tell stories and good stuff like that. So often we look down on people just because they're different from us. That's wrong.

8. They don't label people. Bingo. I talk about how I hate labels all the time. For example, with all the genres of music, just like with people, I only see two labels- good and bad. 

9. They live in the present. I might could use a little work in that department but I try, and realistically it's the only option we have. I'm learning from my dog. He's an excellent teacher. 

10. They turn problems into opportunities. Yep, but it takes effort. Overcoming problems is the only way to make progress or come up with "new and improved." Countless businesses have started that way. You see a need and fill it or see a problem and solve it. The article talks about how we shouldn't panic when faced with a problem. That's huge, and I say it all the time. Not letting myself panic has quite literally saved my life several times. My go-to saying is: "DONUT PANIC." 

 Well, I took the test, and I did okay on it. Maybe it sounds like I'm bragging but I was just going by the article, and I was totally honest. When I say I'm open-minded, according to the article anyway, I am. Cool.