Open-mindedness is about being receptive to new ideas. Simple. Everyone is receptive up to a certain limit. This limit is what determines whether we call a person open-minded or close-minded. Now, why do I care about open-mindedness? Personally, I think open-mindedness is a great trait to have. Why?
- You can learn from the ideas of others and come up with better own ideas.
- It fosters creativity.
- You're more open to explore various topics, which can result in new hobbies, passions, and friendships.
- I think it's related to going out of comfort zone and trying out new things. As a result you become more adaptable to new situations and environments.
- It helps you to become a more interesting person. If you're open-minded, then you probably have knowledge about a variety of topics. It's great for discussions and socializing.
OK, cool. So if it's such a great trait, how to acquire it? Well, you're more or less open-minded. So it's not so much about acquiring but about exercising. I've been exercising my open-mindedness since April. I started with the How to Exercise an Open Mind article. Here I'm presenting the list of various exercises that stimulate the brain. Take it as inspiration!
Exploring Music Genres
Reading
- The Design of Everyday Things. Learning about usability and design of the things that I typically don't pay attention to.
- The Flinch. Short, motivational book.
- Freakonomics. Provides scientific answers for questions like what is more dangerous: a gun or a swimming pool?
- The World Is Flat. Great book about globalization and its benefits.
- Seasteading countries and cities. Startup countries. Must read if you want to start your own country.
- In What Language Do Deaf People Think? Try to answer that question before reading the article!
Wikipedia Articles
- Lifestyle: Swinging (apparently it can be beneficial), Cargo Cult (must read!), Fetishization, Discordianism, Polyphasic sleep (check out if you want to decrease your sleeping time)
- Science: Diminishing Returns (the law is pretty famous and widely-applicable), Cognitive Psychology (it's about how we learn and understand things), Stereogram (see a hidden picture in a picture), Chameleon (they don't have ears but can still detect sounds)
- Art: Theremin (a very unusual instrument, check out The Legend of Zelda played on it), Avant-garde, Origami (some of origami techniques are applied in car air-bags and solar panels of satellites!)
Cooking
- Pierogies
- Asparagus creme
- Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream
- BBQ salmon and vegetables
- Broccoli soup
- Cheesecake
- Hash-browns
Volunteering with Gzowski Club
- Polish Day
- Negotiating discounts with a manicure/pedicure place
- Thinking about the mission of the club and creating the website
- Painting walls
- Delivering sandwiches
- KW Summer Latinfest
Traveling
- Exploring the Kitchener-Waterloo region
- Exploring Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga and other places in Southern Ontario
- Eurotrip
- Booked tickets to Brazil for the Carnival 2013 in Rio de Janeiro
Activities
If you've got something to add to that list, I would be more than happy to see it!
