During this past year I’ve shared my thoughts on the meaning of having a worldview.  It’s a difficult concept to explain, never mind understand, because it’s so complex.  In writing this last issue of the year, I’ve tried to describe ways to bring together all of the things I’ve written about:  that we all have a worldview whether we know it or not; that sometimes others share aspects of our worldviews that are most important to us, and sometimes our worldviews collide with others; that as we mature, our worldviews can broaden due to increased learning and understanding, or constrict due to traumatic events and fear; that we grow by making our unconscious worldviews, conscious; and that we benefit from sharing our worldviews with others, and by asking about their worldviews as well.

 

As I’ve mulled over these points, I’ve asked myself, “What do I think is the most important aspiration that we can hold as we move through life, regarding our worldviews?”  Here are some of those thoughts:

 

      Get conscious…get your life off automatic at least some of the time.  Put aside reflection time to say, who am I, what do I believe, how do my beliefs guide my life?  In automatic mode, we tend to leave no time to ask these deep and meaningful questions.  When we don’t ask them, we become victims of our own routines and leave no room for exploring our role in the world and the repetitive thoughts that guide us.

 

      Be curious…make the time to ask others how they see their lives, and what is important to them.  Don’t assume that everyone thinks like you, or should think like you.  Instead of attacking people’s opinion or viewpoints because they appear different from yours (and therefore wrong!), ask them to tell you more about their thinking in an open and genuine way.  Encourage them to share, and respond to their points in a trustful and caring way.

 

      Be willing to question yourself…assume that you have much to learn from others, and that your viewpoints may, at the very least, be out of date in terms of your own development and understanding.  Ask yourself the reasons for your holding to certain views, and be willing to shift in your perspective when you think it’s appropriate.

 

      Be fearless…this doesn’t mean you should never be afraid, but that you carry the mindset that flexibility and change are assets in your life.  Notice when you get defensive, and try to shift to curiosity when you’re able.  Welcome inquiries from others, even when they are challenging you in a belligerent way; assume their belligerence comes from their own fear of having their worldviews questioned and threatened, rather than their desire to attack you.

 

      Be a model of change and growth…much of the world tries to avoid change and tries to maintain the status quo.  People are motivated to do this because it makes them feel more secure and less frightened.  When you take the steps listed above, you offer a model of hope and opportunity to those who live in fear and anxiety.

 

We all have the opportunity, in the workplace and everywhere we interact, to offer connection, communication, and learning.  Don’t let that opportunity pass you by.

 

Many good wishes for the holiday season and the coming year.