5 reasons why it's okay to change your mind

1. This means that you learn new things.

It is impossible to change your mind if you do not receive new information. Books, articles, podcasts, and lectures provide a rich background for thought and facts that can reshape your old ideas about yourself and the world.

For example, you were suspicious of doctors and drugs and thought it was better to be treated with something natural. But later they studied the issue, learned that homeopathy useless, and traditional medicine works rather as an assistant, and then with reservations - and changed their attitude towards treatment.

Or they thought that children should be brought up very strictly, with a carrot and a stick, but they read the books of modern child psychologists - Julia Gippenreiter, Lyudmila Petranovskaya, Faber and Mazlish - realized that relationships need to be built differently, and revised their educational methods.

2. It means that you think and draw conclusions.

That is, they do not just receive new information, but are also able to analyze it, compare it with existing data, accept and integrate it into their picture of the world. This can be difficult, especially if the knowledge gained runs counter to your previous beliefs.

Let's say you supported a politician or a party, and then learned that the opponents' program is more logical and more realistic. Or they were afraid to leave the capital, because it is allegedly impossible to do business and earn money in the regions, but they studied the experience of other people, realized that this was not so, and moved.

3. This means that you can listen and hear

And also - that you have a fairly diverse environment and you are not afraid to let people in who are not like you.

Let's be honest, disputes and discussions rarely help to find the truth - most often it is a way to take out negative emotions, rise above the opponent and amuse pride. That is why people deserve respect who are able to calmly listen to an alternative point of view, think it over and admit that it is not devoid of meaning. According to researchWhy is it so difficult to make people change their minds?, such personalities are very rare, basically we just block information that does not coincide with our picture of the world.

True, it is important to include critical thinking, check information and not take anyone's word for it, even if everything seems very convincing. Otherwise, there is a risk that you will be deceived or dragged into a dubious adventure.

4. This means that your life does not stand still.

Important events in life serve as an impetus to reconsider your views and values. A person's coordinate system can change dramatically after he visits another country, meets a new friend or loved one, has children, finds an interesting job. Or, on the contrary, he will lose someone close, fail, lose money.

A convinced careerist, becoming a mother, may decide that she wants to raise children and paint. A careful couch potato, starting to travel, may realize that he is ready to sell an apartment and rent a bungalow on the seashore.

The changes and discoveries that they bring indicate that a person is moving forward, trying new things, sometimes stumbling and making mistakes. In other words, it is developing.

5. It means that you are ready to free yourself from stereotypes.

Let's say you were a vegan, but realized that you missed animal products and for you at this stage, a diet of meat, fish and eggs is preferable to an exclusively plant-based menu. And you are not afraid to honestly admit this, even if you previously agitated everyone to go over to the "green" side and vowed never to eat meat in your life.

Or participated in marathons of femininity and posted on the wall articles that a woman should not work - and now build your career with might and main. But at the same time they are quite ready to admit that they used to think too narrowly.

People often continue to stand their ground only because they are not even ready to admit to themselves that they made the wrong choice or followed the incorrect ideas and attitudes. This leads to disappointment, interferes with development, makes us and our environment unhappy. Therefore, if you do decide to rearrange your worldview, you can be proud of yourself: it requires courage, strength and flexibility.