By Shazad

“I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change”

Lyrics from Michael Jackson, “Man in the Mirror”

Children do it, World Leaders do it and everyone in between does it too. Having a preference or opinion and then changing that at some later time is a perfectly natural thing and should be welcomed under the right circumstances. I’m going to explain that and let you decide if you have changed your mind about your opinions in the past and if you think that’s ok.

The first good reason to change one’s mind about something is new information. When we know better, we should do better and talk better as well as thinking better. We should never be stubbornly stuck on a path because we found our forefathers doing it or because everyone in our circle of friends is doing something. Get out of groupthink and become an independent Thought Leader when you have the best information.

The second good reason to change your mind is when the situation changes. For example, due to recent COVID19 pandemic, we should all be washing our hands more often and keeping some distance from people. This is precaution to prevent the spread of the virus and is a temporary condition. Other times, a change of action is more permanent due to a more dramatic event such as Climate Change. In this case, we should all consider our impact on the environment in our lifetime and act to improve the planet instead of behaving as we did before we knew about Climate Change.

The third good reason to change is when you are no longer the same person as before. When you are a teenager, your thoughts are different than when you are a mature adult with life experience. The same goes for when you are married vs single or employed vs. Being in business for yourself. There are so many times when we have a fundamental identity change due to time or the roles we have in life. It’s perfectly reasonable to have a mindset shift when your role changes. In fact, it should be required to change and develop yourself further.

So there you have it. Changing your mind is neither bad, harmful, or something to be afraid of. It’s proof of your growth and self-awareness developing in this journey called life. Make that change!