In the last post, I challenged you regarding your mindset about Millennials. I linked to an article that stretched me in that regard, and I hope stretched you as well.
How was your mind impacted and expanded by said article? Did you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with what you were reading? Did you lash out, or lean in?
Do you know why you reacted as you did?
I hope you were challenged to reconsider how you perceive others.
When we are presented with views or realities different from our own, we really have just two choices: run and hide, or face them head on.
Option #1
If you have no desire to change, to improve, to mature, you will run and hide. Why? Because it is frightening to challenge yourself. If you’re willing to question what you believe, then you are, by default, admitting that you may be wrong. People who cling to their preferences deny the possibility that they could, in reality, be holding onto something that is indefensible. So, they lash out at the slightest suggestion that they could be in error.
Option #2
If you have a desire to change, you know that you need to hear and learn from others, because you realize that making a difference in this world involves facing new ideas and views head on. You do this because you know that this is the way to maturity. You acknowledge that there is greater understanding than you possess; greater thoughts than your own; greater opportunities to bring needed change to your world and the world. So, you lean in, opening your ears and your mind, drawing out all that you can from the ideas of others.
Which are you?
Do you lash out whenever someone challenges your views, or do you lean in, listening more intently, digging for deeper understanding and greater knowledge?
Which do you want to be?
It’s your choice, your decision…
