The Importance Of Opening Yourself To The Ideas Of Others (Being Tolerant Of The Views Of Others).

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The idea of everyone having different views and opinions from one another has existed since the beginning of time. As individuals with the ability to think and believe whatever you may choose, expecting others to always agree with you isn't plausible. I believe that it is both healthy and natural for people to not always see eye-to-eye. Mankind has never aligned with people always agreeing with one another, and it will always be that way. Now despite the differences of ideas and opinions that exist within our society, in general, people have found a way to coexist with one another. I want to be sure and stress the point of this being generalized, because we all know that there have and will always be instances where disagreements lead to negative outcomes. Now I can't speak for anyone else, and I am solely coming from my own perspective and reality here, but it appears to me that more and more people in the world that we live in today aren't open to hearing the ideas of others. Again, this is a habit that has existed from the beginning of time, but I personally feel that it is something that I see and notice more and more in this era that we're living in. As a people we don't always have to agree with one another. However, being that I'm one that believes in maintaining an open mind, I do feel that it is important for us to always open our minds up to the ideas that others have.

What is going on ladies and gentlemen? Is is your guy Brad H. back once again in the kitchen of wisdom stirring up the the knowledge pot a bit, and I'd like to welcome you all once again to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am here for another week to hopefully serve up a dish of inspiration and knowledge that will hopefully help in keeping us all motivated in our daily lives. I hope that all has been going well for everybody out there. I initially was only going to talk about the abysmal Super Bowl game that I endured nearly two weeks ago in this section. However, there was recently a more serious situation that happened recently that I want to acknowledge. As I'm sure mostly everyone knows by now, there was another school shooting that took place a few days ago. The staging ground this time around was in Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This tragic incident claimed the lives of 17 people in total. I just want to give my thoughts and prayers to those that were lost, as well as their families and loved one. Honestly, what more can there really be said about these events besides they are happening all too often than they should be? I believe that it says a lot about the world that we're living in when young people are so mentally disturbed that they feel they have to resort to these type of acts. I'm not sure what more can be done besides more gun regulations, background checks, mental health checks, etc. What I do know is that it is pretty sad that we live in the kind of world where when people mention that a mass shootings has taken place, and the first thing you wonder is where now? There are a lot of deep rooted issues that have to be addressed to prevent things like this from happening in the future. Again, my thoughts go out to everyone that were lost in this tragic event. That's pretty much my thoughts on this unfortunate incident, so lets go ahead and get into this week's topic of the importance of opening ourselves up to the ideas that others have.

As with the normal disclaimer that I give before addressing any of the topics I discuss, I want to say that we all have different viewpoints and ways of seeing things. The goal here isn't to force my beliefs on anyone else, but rather to hopefully to encourage others to maybe view things in a manner in which they may not have before. You are well within your rights if you happen to disagree with or don't share the same views as I do. Whatever your beliefs or outlook on life may be, I still appreciate those of you that have taken out some time to see what I have to say. Hopefully what I want to address is able to reach someone out there. As for how I arrived at this particular topic, I can't really really point to anything specific besides it just being something that has been on my mind recently. Furthermore, being that I'm trying to focus on becoming a more tolerant and understanding person towards others, I feel that this is a topic that can help me to keep myself accountable towards that goal. There may be some of you out there that read this and probably don't feel it is of importance to try and see things from the perspective of others, and that is totally fine if you feel that way. That said, I doubt that applies to many of you because I know from the feedback that I've gotten from over the years that I've been doing this has came from mostly positive and enlightened individuals. Some of us are striving to become the best versions of ourselves, and what better way to do that than opening up our minds a little more to others?

I mentioned earlier how we're all aware that everyone has different ideas and opinions right? Thinking about it now, that is pretty much something that I mention in every topic that I cover, but that is beside the point right now. Because we all have different ways of viewing things, it is unrealistic to expect for everyone to always agree. As I stated already this is totally fine as long as there is a mutual respect between the parties that are having the disagreement. For me personally, what I notice now is that so many have the belief that the way they see and view things is the right way, and that no else's viewpoint matters that much. Now this is something that we probably all do to an extent, but the problem settles in when people start denigrating others for having an opinion different than theirs. So in essence, people are only one sided when it comes to their views, and not only are they interested in hearing out what others have to say, but they would rather just bash them because of the differences of opinion. If you really think about it for a second, what does this practice sound like? It almost could be a form of the R word, and we all know what the R word refers to. Since I'm totally against it, I'm not going to put that word on here, but I'm pretty sure that most of you understand my point. Again, disagreements are always going to happen, but the problems settle in when people choose to make it personal when others don't agree with them.

Beyond just trying to be a more open minded and well rounded individual, there are numerous reasons why it is important to open yourself to the ideas of others. However, because of the point that I'm trying to make in this topic, I want to focus on what I personally deem to be the most important reason for keeping an open mind when it comes to the ideas that others may have. The word that I'm thinking of now is "tolerance". We all know what tolerance is and what it means, however, I looked up the official definition through Google and this is the result that followed. It reads that tolerance is the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with. This definition totally encompasses why I think it is important to keep yourself open to the ideas of others. Keeping an open mind to what other people think not only allows you the opportunity to learn something new; it helps greatly in teaching you how to be able to respect the views of others even when you may not agree with their views. Even in our own lives we likely have friends and family members that do things that we may not necessarily agree with, but despite having issues with some of the things they do or the way they choose to live, we tolerate them because we love them. Yes it is easier to tolerate the people close to you compared to a complete stranger, but the people that we're close to were also strangers at one point as well right? Just something to consider.

The main point that I'm trying to get people to take away from this is that everyone's views matter because we're all here on this playing field of life. Sure the playing field of life isn't always a leveled one for everyone, but we all have the ability to think and live however we choose. The way that I think or view certain things isn't the only way that life should be looked at, just like the way the next person thinks isn't. Yes, it matters because however I see thing is my own reality, but the next person has their own reality as well. Bashing and downing other people for not having the same views as you or anyone else is just plain wrong. It is totally okay to disagree with other people, but never believe that because you disagree with them that your viewpoint is the end all be all. A lot of this has to do the fact that the average person today would rather do more talking that listening. When you talk more than you choose to listen, you able to get your point out there, but you also don't allow room to listen to other people's views. Try to listen more to what other people are saying. I can't speak for anyone else, but I think you'd be surprised at how much you're able to learn when you open yourself up to the ideas that other people may have. From my perspective, working towards becoming a more tolerant person towards others is one of the most important forms of personal growth that an individual can experience.

Well we have arrived at the end of another topic brothers and sisters! Time to sign off once again, but thank you as always for those that came through for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! As I always mention before ending my topics, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this, as well as the other topics I address on here. If you have any comments or feedback on any topic, feel free to drop down in the comments. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH. I'm pretty excited for tonight and tomorrow being that it is the NBA's All-Star Weekend. For those that are basketball fans out there, I hope you all enjoy. Again, I want to give my thoughts to those that were affected by the school shooting in Florida. Beyond all of that, I hope everyone has great weekend and an even better week ahead. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all in the next one! Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.

The Importance Of Not Allowing Other People To Deter You From Your Path.

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One of the things that we all know and must acknowledge within this life is that change is inevitable. There are all ways and forms that change can take on. Some changes are for the betterment of us, while there are some forms of change that we deem as being less desirable or downright bad. For some people in this life, adjusting to change and the intricacies that come along with it can be something difficult to overcome. Regardless of who you are or what you may believe, we all have defining moments in our lives that involve change in some form. I believe that this especially applies to people that have maybe found themselves wanting to better or improve themselves in certain aspects of their live. I'd like to think of this as being some form of an awakening. From my perspective, this is one of the most gratifying forms of change that a person can find themselves having. However, even though becoming an even more aware and enlightening individual can be seen as being a positive change for a person's individual life, this can also be a form change that some of the people that your close to will understand or accept. When you find yourself walking on a path that others may not fully understand or accept, finding the courage and willpower to stay on that path can make the journey of improving yourself much more daunting. Regardless of what path that you may find yourself on, if it's one that you feel is the right one for you, you must not allow others to deter your from that path.

Hey what is going on ladies and gentlemen? It is Brad H. coming back at you once again for another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back here for another week of inspiration and knowledge that will hopefully help keep us all inspired and motivated. I hope that all has been going good and well for everyone out there. We are officially in the month of February now, so the new year isn't so new anymore. I hope that all the positive changes that you all have wanted to make for this year is going well so far. In the previous topic that I addressed, I talked about the NFL playoffs and I made my prediction who I felt was going to the Super Bowl. I was right in predicting that the Patriots would beat the Jaguars, but I was way off in believing that the Vikings would defeat the Eagles. Now I personally was pulling for the Jaguars and the Vikings, so you can imagine how disappointed I am with the Super Bowl that is taking place tomorrow. The Patriots beating the Jaguars wasn't that big of a surprise to me, but Minnesota totally shocked me. Being that the Super Bowl is taking place in their home stadium, I really thought that would be more that enough motivation for them to win. Instead, they got totally trounced by an Eagles team that is playing with a backup quarterback. I was at the movies during the game, so I'm not entirely sure what happened as to why the Vikings got dominated. With that said, I want it to be known that I really don't care about the Super Bowl this year. Probably the two teams that I dislike most are playing, so it's a lose/lose situation for me. If I had to make a prediction, I would probably say that New England wins. However, with the way this season has gone, you truly don't know what is going to happen. Alright, now that I've talked about something besides the main topic for the week, it is time to go ahead and get into this week's topic of the importance of staying on your path.

Now to the normal disclaimer that I give weekly on the topics that I discuss. We all have different views and opinions when it comes to discussing various topics. My mission with this isn't to force my beliefs on anyone else, but rather to hopefully to encourage others to think about things in a way in which they may not have before. Much of what I plan on talking about here is going to already be familiar to most of you. If you find that this or any of my other topics don't encourage you to think differently than you normally would, then my other hope is that you can find some inspiration through it. Whether this topic resonates with you or whatever your viewpoints have be on this or any of the other topics, I appreciate those of you that have stopped through and taken a few minutes out of your day to visit here. So how did we arrive at this particular topic for the week? Well I initially had another topic that I had thought about a few days back that I wanted to discuss for the week. However, as I began to sit down and plot out my thoughts on how I was going to get my point across, there was another thought that came to my mind that led me to think about the topic that we're tackling this week. I guess we can say that this is one of the rare times where a conversation or discussion didn't factor much into what I chose to address. Sometimes things happen on the fly and when that happens, you have to be willing to adjust, and that is exactly how we have come to where we are now. Again, I hope that you all enjoy it, and you find that there is something in it that can be applied to your life.

Now I'm a believer that we all have a purpose while we're here. I believe that from the time that we're born up until the time that we die, there is a greater reason beyond just existing that we're here for. Now for most people, figuring out what your purpose is and finding it can be challenge. Some people know early on what their purpose is, while many of us either discover what our purpose is later on in our lives and in some unfortunate circumstances, we never truly discover it. I don't want to focus on timing, because we all have different periods for things happening in our lives. Remember that figuring out what is right for you in your life isn't a race against other people, it's a solo race that takes place from within. Now as I alluded to earlier in this post, I'd like to refer to it as an awakening when a person discovers a purpose that is greater than them. I'm sure that everyone may have different reactions based on what they believe their purpose is, but I'd like to think of it as an "ah-ha" moment. It's almost as if things are beginning to make more sense to you, and it feels like things are coming together. Now again I want to stress that this may be a different experience for everyone. Like I have mentioned countless times, we all interpret things different from one another. So you've discovered what your purpose is, and you feel that things are coming together in your life, but there is another issue now. You find that others don't agree with, nor are they supportive of what you're trying to do. This probably sounds familiar for many of you whether you've experienced it personally or not.

Now I want to say again that this doesn't apply to everyone. I do realize that there are a lot of people that have supportive family and friends in their lives. However, I'm also certain that there are instances where people have found that others may not be entirely happy for them when they've discovered a different path that they may want to explore. Finding that the people that are close to you aren't supportive of what you're seeking can be a huge deterrent in your life. Why is this? Simply said, we all want to have our cake and eat it too whether we want to admit it or not. If it were a perfect world, wouldn't we all want to be able to live the way we want and have the support of everyone else that we love? I think that most of us would, however, we all know that this isn't a perfect world and sometimes situations like this happen. The thing that often happens is that other people feel like they know what is best for you. They mean well the majority of the time, and they're likely at odds with you and your decisions because they want what is best for you, which is understandable. That said however, no one else can truly know what is best for you but you. Of course people are going to have an opinion and though their opinions may be valid at times, they can truly never know, which brings me to the heart of this week's topic on the importance of not allowing other people to deter your from you path.

Being thrown off whatever path you may be on or seeking is something that too many of allow to happen in our lives because we're trying to have our cake and eat it to as I mentioned earlier. There are going to be instances in your life where you will be able to do whatever you want without any resistance from others, but in most cases this isn't how things are going to always go down. Whatever it may be that you want to do or feels right to you, try and make it a priority in your life regardless of who or who doesn't cosign with you on it. Other people cannot life our lives for us, which means that if we are the ones that have the opportunity to make ourselves happy, we must do it by any means necessary. As long as whatever path that you're on isn't hurting yourself or anyone else, then you stay on it and go for it with all that you have. Becoming a more aware and enlightened person when it has yet to happen to those closest to you will probably rub people the wrong way, and that is okay. The way that others react to what you do shouldn't be your main concern. Your concern should be to do whatever you want that makes you happy. So always remember that people can't live your life for you. If you're on a path that you feel is right for you, stay on it and pursue it to the fullest. Finally, if you ever need anyone to encourage you to stick to whatever path that you're on if it's working for you, remember that I'm telling you here to stick to the path. Not all change is bad change, and if you find that you're changing for the better, then keep on pressing forward.

Well that is it for this week folks! Another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' has come and gone, so it is time to part ways for now. I want to thank everyone once again that stopped by to check out what I had to say. As I always mention before ending my topics, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this, as well as the other topics I address on here. If you have any comments or feedback on any topic, feel free to drop down in the comments. You can also hit me up on Twitter @BradrickH. Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend, as well as the Super Bowl tomorrow. I also hope that everyone has a great week ahead, and hopefully your February 2018 has started off well. Take care everyone, and I'll see you all in the next one! Peace!

©2018 Bradrick H. All Rights Reserved.