In his book “The power of being flexible”, the Italian psychologist Walter Riso distinguishes three types of mental approaches when facing reality and problems.
This implies that the way we approach things has to do, in part, with the way our mind works.
The ability to adapt, self-confidence and the way we relate have to do with the type of mental focus that characterizes us.
There are three types of mind that can be had: a rigid mind, a liquid mind, and a flexible mind. We describe each one in detail… Can you recognize which one is yours?
rigid mind
This type of mental focus is characterized by the inability to change behavior, beliefs, or opinions, even when there is strong evidence that you should.
Therefore, the adaptive capacity is extremely poor.
They are people who expect to always be in control of things, and since this is impossible, they have high levels of frustration and stress.
People who have this type of thinking consider any new experience to be dangerous, and prefer to stay in a context of relative safety.
However, according to this psychologist, the more “rigid” the mind is, the more possibilities there are of suffering from mental illness.
liquid mind
It is an indefinite and apathetic mind, which is not capable of recognizing itself. It is a mind that escapes, that has no vision of its own, that always takes the shape of the container that contains it.
Those who have a liquid mind get carried away by fashions, and never have a formed opinion of things.
They are changeable, but not in a good way: they don’t know where they are standing and that’s why they only measure themselves in relation to the environment.
That is to say: the liquid mind puts all control outside of itself, and that is why it tends to be trivial.
flexible mind
The flexible mind, on the other hand, is curious and creative. Those with this type of mind enjoy movement and exploring new possibilities.
Unlike the liquid mind, those with a flexible mind have clear principles and deep beliefs. However, they are not rigid: they are willing to listen to others and test themselves.
If they discover that things are not as they thought, they are willing to change their minds.
Because they don’t cling to the impossible, those with this type of mental focus experience less stress. They let things flow and that helps them feel good about themselves and the environment.
The best thing about people with a flexible mind is that they are able to live in peace with themselves, and that allows them to lead a fulfilling life.
How to have a more flexible mind
If after reading this you feel that you tend to have a rigid or liquid mind, and would like to be closer to a flexible one, there are several things you can do:
- Train your curiosity and propose to investigate topics that interest you but about which you know little.
- Try new things and get out of your comfort zone.
- Be spontaneous and encourage yourself to give your own arguments.
- Enhance the sense of humor.
Don’t worry: there are no bad minds and good minds, there are simply ways of seeing things that help you walk the world with more confidence and peace of mind.
As long as you feel good and confident about yourself… keep going!
So… What kind of mind do you have?