- Read Time: 9 minutes
- By: Jen
- Updated: June 5, 2024
Are you ready to open up and unlock new possibilities in your life?
We’ve gathered nine actionable tips to help you become more open to experience.
With these tips, you can start seeing positive changes today.
Ready?! Let’s gooooooooo…!
This is the second article in our Openness deep dive mini-series.
You can skip the deep dive and go straight to the summary, How to Open Up to Growth: Nurturing Your Openness Personality Trait.
Or you can check out the whole series:
- What is Openness? A Deep Dive into the Big Five Personality OCEAN
- How to Become More Open: Simple Steps to Start
- Openness Examples: How Openness Affects the Six Pillars of Your Life
How Do I Increase My Openness?
Increasing your openness can enrich your life with new experiences and perspectives.
The nine tips we are sharing with you are designed to help you:
- overcome internal barriers,
- challenge your comfort zones,
- let go of fear, and
- invite more possibilities into your life.
They will guide you whether you want to enhance your creativity, improve your relationships, or enrich your day-to-day experiences.
Remember, the path to Openness starts with a single step, and each step brings you closer to a more enriched and fulfilling life.
Here are the nine ways to become more open:
- Measure your Current Openness.
- Explore New Experiences
- Cultivate your Curiosity.
- Build Relationships with People Different from You
- Practice Mindfulness and Reflection
- Embrace Creativity
- Seek Education and Learning Opportunities
- Be Open to Change
- Practice Empathy
Measure Your Current Openness
Now is the perfect time to take the Truity Big Five personality test. This personality test can provide valuable insights into your strengths and areas for growth.
Understanding your starting point is essential for measuring any improvement. It can also help you set clear goals and track your progress. Knowing where you stand helps you make informed decisions about your development.
Explore New Experiences
Exploring new experiences can be exciting and eye-opening.
One of the best ways to do this is by traveling. When you visit new places, you see different cultures and ways of thinking. Whether you’re exploring a marketplace in a foreign country or hiking through beautiful landscapes, travel helps you learn and grow.
If traveling isn’t an option, look for cultural festivals and events in your neighborhood. These offer rich, fulfilling experiences close to home, allowing you to enjoy unique traditions, music, dance, and food. Attending exhibitions and community celebrations helps you appreciate and respect the variety of human experiences.
Trying new hobbies is another good way to explore. You can cook recipes from other countries, learn a musical instrument, or try a new sport. Each new activity brings challenges and rewards and helps you develop new skills.
Ready to explore new experiences?
- Travel: Visit new places to experience different cultures and ways of thinking.
- Attend Cultural Events: Go to cultural festivals, art exhibitions, and community events that showcase different traditions and lifestyles.
- Try New Hobbies: Cook new recipes, learn a musical instrument, or start a new sport.
Cultivate your Curiosity
Cultivating your curiosity can make life more exciting and help you learn new things.
Curiosity allows you to uncover amazing facts about the world and understand different ideas more deeply.
What are you interested in learning more about?
Have you ever wondered why something is the way it is? Or how a thing works?
Find books to read or videos to watch that can answer your questions.
Curiosity makes learning fun and helps you grow. It fosters a love for knowledge and encourages you to keep learning throughout your life (See tip #7.). Being curious broadens your horizons and helps you think critically and creatively. It makes you adaptable and resilient in a changing world.
Ready to cultivate your curiosity?
- Read Diversely: Read books, articles, and journals on many topics.
- Ask Questions: Make a habit of asking questions and seeking to understand more about the world around you.
Build Relationships with People Different from You
Building relationships with people who are different from you helps you grow and develop empathy.
Meeting new people and listening to their stories can expand your understanding of the world. Talking deeply with others opens doors to ideas you might not have encountered otherwise. These new relationships can evolve into deeper connections and close friendships.
Showing real interest in others’ viewpoints also helps you grow emotionally. It builds empathy and mutual respect, which are key to healthy relationships. Connecting with people from other backgrounds helps you see the world through their eyes. It makes your own experiences richer.
Ready to start building meaningful relationships?
- Meet New People: Have conversations with people from different backgrounds by joining social groups, attending community events, or participating in online forums.
- Actively Listen: Practice active listening to understand others’ viewpoints and experiences without judgment. Ask questions and show that you care about what they are saying.
Practice Mindfulness and Reflection
Practicing mindfulness and reflection can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. This awareness can open you up to experience life differently.
Start by meditating daily. Meditation helps you tune into your inner world. It clears your mind, reduces stress, and boosts your overall well-being. With a clear mind, you can approach life with a fresh perspective.
Reflective journaling is another great way to grow. Write about your daily experiences, thoughts, and feelings. This practice enhances your memory and helps you recognize patterns in your life. Over time, this helps you understand yourself better.
These practices lead to heightened self-awareness. Small efforts add up, fostering a deeper understanding of your true self.
Ready to incorporate mindfulness and reflection into your life?
- Mindfulness Exercises: Engage in mindfulness practices like meditation.
- Reflective Journaling: Keep a journal to reflect on your experiences and thoughts.
Embrace Creativity
Embracing creativity can make life more enjoyable and help you see things in a new way.
Creative activities like painting, writing, or playing music can open your mind to different perspectives and inspire new ways of thinking. Engaging in these activities helps you express your emotions and ideas. They also stimulate your brain, encouraging mental growth.
Thinking creatively isn’t just about the arts. Creative problem-solving is an art unto itself. Sometimes, the best solutions aren’t obvious right away, and thinking creatively can lead to many possible approaches. This makes problem-solving fun and helps you become more open-minded.
Regularly participating in creative pursuits can build resilience and improve your adaptability. Plus, it brings joy through discovery and innovation.
Ready to embrace your creativity?
- Artistic Activities: Participate in creative activities like drawing, painting, writing, or playing music.
- Creative Problem-Solving: Approach problems with an innovative mindset. Try to find multiple solutions and consider unconventional approaches.
Seek Education and Learning Opportunities
Seeking education and learning opportunities opens up a world of possibilities.
Enrolling in courses and workshops might seem challenging at first, but these educational settings provide structured learning environments. You can delve deeper into topics, engage with experienced instructors, and collaborate with peers who share your interests.
Education isn’t just about formal schooling, though. Reading books, listening to podcasts, or watching educational videos can all contribute to your growth. Committing to lifelong learning helps you grow continuously and build confidence. It keeps your curiosity alive (see tip #3.) and encourages new discoveries.
By consistently seeking new knowledge, you stay adaptable in a rapidly changing world. This opens you up to many personal and professional opportunities.
Ready to seek out new educational experiences?
- Courses and Workshops: Enroll in classes or workshops that challenge your current knowledge and skills. Try subjects outside your comfort zone.
- Lifelong Learning: Commit to lifelong learning by seeking out informal educational experiences.
Be Open to Change
Being open to change can be immensely challenging, but it can lead to fantastic growth.
Change is an inevitable part of life, but viewing it positively can make all the difference. Embracing change as a chance to grow helps you handle life’s ups and downs with a positive attitude. View challenges as opportunities to learn and develop. This way, you can face each situation with an open mind and a willingness to adapt.
As you become better at adapting to change, you also begin to build resilience. Building resilience allows you to bounce back from setbacks and learn valuable lessons along the way. This gives you the confidence to handle future obstacles more effectively.
Ready to embrace change?
- Adaptability: Embrace changes and see them as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles.
- Resilience Building: Stay open-minded when coping with setbacks and use them as learning experiences.
Practice Empathy
Practicing empathy can help you connect deeply with others and understand their feelings.
Empathetic listening allows you to truly appreciate other people’s experiences and emotions, making their stories more vivid and impactful. When you listen empathically, you are fully present, showing you’re listening through body language and verbal cues, reflecting back what was said, avoiding judgment, asking open-ended questions, and validating their emotions.
Volunteering in a place where you can help others can offer a new perspective on people’s struggles and challenges. Combining empathetic listening with volunteer work allows you to see the world through different eyes, fostering a greater sense of compassion and understanding. This combination benefits those you help and enriches your life, providing a deeper sense of purpose and connection to the community.
Ready to practice empathy?
- Empathetic Listening: Practice empathetic listening to understand other’s perspectives and emotional expressions.
- Volunteer Work: Engage in volunteer work that puts you in touch with diverse communities and perspectives.
You’ve made it to the end!
By working some or all of these nine tips into your daily routine, you can gradually increase your level of Openness and lead a more fulfilling and expansive life!
Why is it good to be more Open?
We’ll dive into this more deeply in the next article in the series, Openness Examples: How Openness Affects the Six Pillars of Your Life. Here is a sneak peek to tide you over.
Being open can push you to step out of your comfort zone, try new things, and grow as a person. Adopting a growth mindset and committing to continuous learning can unlock limitless potential when you embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities to grow and improve.
Openness also helps you build stronger relationships with others. When you’re open, you can connect with people from different backgrounds and experiences. It helps you understand different perspectives and see the world in new ways. This can make you more empathetic and tolerant toward others.
These two things combine to drive positive outcomes in all areas of life.
Let's Recap
We’ve explored nine ways to grow Openness to experience.
To cultivate an open mind, try to be present and receptive in different situations.
Try new things to expand your horizons.
Stay curious by asking questions and exploring new topics.
Keep learning through education, workshops, books, and podcasts.
Reflect on things, listen to others, and consider different perspectives to understand better.
Show empathy and respect different viewpoints to have a more inclusive outlook.
Remember, baby steps can lead to big changes over time. Small, consistent efforts add up to transformative results.
Embrace each moment with an open heart and a curious mind. You’ll continue to grow and evolve in ways you never imagined.
Keep exploring, stay positive, and enjoy every new experience!
Articles in the Big Five Series
Openness to Experience
- How to Open Up to Growth: Nurturing Your Openness Personality Trait
- What is Openness? A Deep Dive into the Big Five Personality OCEAN
- How to Become More Open: Simple Steps to Start
- Openness Examples: How Openness Affects the Six Pillars of Your Life
