On Openness

[00:00:00] **Aurooba Ahmed:** Well, hello. This is The Daily Five with Aurooba, that's me, where we reflect on creating our best lives a little bit every day. Here we go.

[00:00:15] Openness in communication, approach, and attitude. Coming from a place of trust and confidence rather than suspicion and defensiveness. Openness, which fosters trust and understanding, breaks down barriers and allows us to connect on a deeper level, allows for the free exchange of ideas and promotes not just an inclusive environment but a truly collaborative one.

[00:00:47] In its absence, we have misunderstandings, conflicts, frustration, and distrust.

[00:00:52] Openness. Being receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and experiences, even when they contradict us. Even when they seemingly slow us down. Even when they drive us bonkers and annoy us. Openness. The ability to step out of our comfort zones and challenge our preconceived notions.

[00:01:19] Don't crowd the mushrooms, as Julia Child would say. Because to develop that complex flavor and richness, you need openness. A closed approach, on the other hand, limits growth. It stifles innovation. It leads to stagnation, lack of progress, and a breakdown of systems. Openness. Being honest, transparent, and authentic. Whether you have good feelings or bad. Openness, creating a safe space where people feel seen, heard, and valued on good days and bad, in high stress situations and not so high stress.

[00:02:01] When we are not open, we create environments of mistrust, dishonesty, and negative control. Openness, not just expressing our thoughts and feelings freely, but also actively listening and being receptive to the thoughts and feelings of others, freely.

[00:02:21] Openness. Embracing diversity in people, thoughts, and ideas.

[00:02:28] Openness can be challenging, undoubtedly, I am not saying that it is easy. It requires courage, vulnerability, and a true willingness to take risks, both mentally and emotionally, regardless of the situation. But the rewards are immense. And the value is exponential.

[00:02:50] You know, I had something else planned for today. But a variety of things today compelled me to say this instead. Have the courage to practice openness. Have the audacity to practice openness. Because what on earth are we doing here otherwise? How does negative control, superficial relationships, opaque nonsense, and indifference help us create a better life? Trick question, it doesn't.

[00:03:20] Listen, healthy relationships, familial, friendly, romantic, professional, they all thrive in mutual openness. The best of us comes out when we are open and find ourselves in environments that are open. You don't have to care to the max 100 percent of the time. You do not have to be open to the max 100 percent of the time.

[00:03:43] But the sea that died was the one that hoarded, not the one that freely gave and so also received. We cannot give our all in every situation all the time. It is exhausting and hard and draining. And, I'll also say this, nothing truly great and matterful happens without being exhausting and hard and draining at least some of the time, sometimes for a little longer than some of the time.

[00:04:09] You can get along just fine in life without practicing openness. But what are you missing out on? What disservice are you doing to yourself? And also to those around you? What could you have gained if you had not hoarded like the Dead Sea? I don't know. There's really only one way to find out. Openness, friends.

[00:04:33] Openness. There's maybe another word for it, but that's the word I got for you today. Openness. Thanks for listening. Same time tomorrow?