I tend to be someone who has strong opinions about a decision once I’ve made up my mind. When I was younger, I’d stand with my position no matter what. I wasn’t open to considering other perspectives or new information. My mind was made up, and it wasn’t changing. That trait led to some painful situations when I’d clearly made the wrong decision but refused to admit it.

Today I try to have flexibility in my thought processes and decisions. I still have conviction about my decisions, but I’m much more open to listening and trying to understand perspectives I haven’t considered. Equally important is new information. When facts or data that I didn’t previously have come to my attention, I consider them with more of an open mind.

Being open to listening and reviewing new data doesn’t necessarily mean that I change my decision, of course. Often, I stick with it because I still feel it’s the right decision, all things considered. But there are times when being open-minded has allowed me to accept that I’ve made the wrong decision, reverse course, and avoid unnecessary pain.

Now, when I’ve made a decision, I make sure that along with having conviction about it, I have mental flexibility too.