Change is hard and for a reason.
We all established our habits, to help us not to overspend valuable energy in to overthinking every situation.
The picture here represents old ugly windows, would you care to learn more about the story or what’s inside. Most probably not, but some people would definitely see this picture as something beautify. Would you like to know why?
We know what we want and we know what we like.
What if we decide to understand others who don’t like or even understand different customs and cultures who seem strange to us?
The chances are that we will fail …. at first.
Because in our brain we still have those filters which show that the different is strange, stupid, illogical or dangerous or we will never like it.
To step up and change our point of view, we have to follow a simple 4 step process.
1 Get Curious.
Curiosity is an amazing thing, children are wired with curiosity, that’s the main reason they often ask questions starting with “Why”.
Without being curious, our brain filters will kick in and we will ignore the difference and just continue with our life.
2 Observe what you want to understand.
Sometimes we are in the middle of a situation that we can’t understand. Think about strange custom you might have observed for a colleague who behave differently than others. Our brain is wired to label things as strange and wired. But this process that help us survive for thousands of years is not suitable in today’s intercultural world, where different nationality work together in a common working place. Try to not label a situation, but observe it with an open mind and eventually you will have a different understanding of what’s going on. This understanding will help you grow and to see the richness of the world.
3 Observer yourself.
What emotions triggers in you? Do you feel uncomfortable, silly, annoyed? There are no wrong answers when you want to create a new understanding sometimes our beliefs will be challenged. When we stretch our comfort zone, we change and receive a true gift.
4 Ask more questions.
If you still have doubts to find people who may have a similar question, there are Reddit and all other platforms are your best entry point to go deeper in to the topic.
And sometimes you may change and see something new, and other times it’s okay to stay in your comfort zone and focus your energy for other things you consider important.
Are you ready for a change of your point of view?
Aleks Vladimirov
Solution Engineering Manager at Thales | Senior IT Professional | Startup Mentor and Product Manager
