Most people would not argue the fact that healthy relationships are critical for success. There are many contributing factors to healthy relationships but the cornerstone of building a quality and lasting relationship is openness.
Openness is defined as being honest and not hiding information or feelings.
Let’s face it, most of us struggle in this area. Why? Because we have a deep desire to be accepted and loved. We have a persona to protect and are afraid if we allow anyone to see the real depth of who we are or what we think, it could harm our reputation, or someone may not like us. How many times per day do you have to bite your tongue to keep from sharing how you really feel? Albeit there is a time to refrain from just spouting off out of frustration, the truth is, if you’re never sharing honestly about your feelings, you will most likely not have relationships beyond a superficial level. Healthy, lasting, and meaningful relationships must be built from an attitude of openness.
Healthy relationships are one of the great benefits of openness, but there are others. What are the benefits of an attitude of openness? Let’s look!
“5 Benefits of an Openness Attitude”
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A Clean Conscious –
There is a reason for the saying, “You’re only as sick as your secrets.” It’s true and research shows that people who hold onto things deep inside tend to have more medical issues than those who are more open to sharing. We all have something in our lives we aren’t so proud of. Those moments in time we can look back on and feel shame. The mistakes we’ve made and the bad choices. We all have them. Now, we’re not saying you should go and air out all your dirty laundry to anyone who will listen, but there is a time and a place to get things off your chest so to speak. There is healing power in sharing honestly because you’re not carrying around all the weight by yourself. When you live with an attitude of openness you can rest easy with a clean conscious.
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Meaningful Relationships –
As we have already stated above, the cornerstone to healthy, happy, lasting, and meaningful relationships is openness. Without openness, your relationships will be superficial and have no depth at all. When you are open, you invite the people who are around you to be open as well. Starting all your relationships with an attitude of openness will allow others to see your vulnerability. People will see you as authentic and they will be more likely to trust you and want to spend time with you. Meaningful relationships are a key component of a successful and happy life.
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Better Experiences –
In today’s world, it’s all about the experiences. Experiences truly impact our lives in every way. Research has found that people who have positive experiences think on a higher level and tend to be all around more successful. Experiences determine our behaviors, our opinions, how we interact, and so much more. It is very important to make sure we have the best experiences possible. The way to do that is to have an attitude of openness.
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Less Stress –
Stress is a killer, literally. So many people are living stressed out to the max. What can we do about it? The very first step is to be more open. There are many causes of stress, but some of the basic things that can stress us are when things don’t go the way we planned, when we are closed off to people, and when we feel stifled. Having an outlet where you can talk about your feelings honestly and feel safe helps reduce stress levels greatly. Openness helps people feel more satisfied with their life and when you are more satisfied, you will have less stress.
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More Growth –
Continued growth is essential to a successful life and there is no better way to grow than being open to new ideas, new people, and different thoughts. Challenging your fixed mindset can allow you to think more creatively and teach you new things about yourself. One of the downsides to being more closed minded is it leads you to more negativity. When you live with an attitude of openness, you will be more optimistic in nature which leads to a more positive mindset. If you have a perspective of openness, you will always be learning new things which will help you grow as a person.
With all this information, it should be clear that living with an attitude of openness is critical to our success. Having a clear conscious, meaningful relationships, better experiences, less stress, and more growth are key components to achieving the goals and dreams we aspire to accomplish. DECIDED today to be a person who lives with an attitude of openness.
I’ve Decided to be more open!
Article Written By:
Kim Martin, Founder of I’ve Decided, INC