Full cups can hold no more water …

Cookie mogul Wally Amos is fond of quoting the saying, “The mind is like a parachute. It functions best when opened.”

When you open your mind to the possibilities, objectively analyze information, and refuse to allow your personal preferences and biases to influence your judgment, you will be able to perceive great truths that have been overlooked by others.

A closed mind, though, will cause you to miss out on some of life’s greatest offerings. If you find yourself disputing the facts, or if you keep attempting to revise them to support your beliefs, ask yourself, “Why am I so unwilling to accept this information? Am I being logical, or am I simply allowing my emotions to cloud my judgment?” The worst mistake you may ever make is trying to persuade yourself to accept a false truth. It is inappropriate to try to fool others, but when you fool yourself, disaster is sure to follow.

Always telling the truth helps keep the mind open. It does not have to stay in motion remembering previous stories to keep them straight. Most importantly….those around you will feel it!

A closed mind stumbles over the blessings of life without recognizing them.

To the untrained eye, a geode looks pretty much like an ordinary rock. But a trained geologist knows that inside the geode there is a beautiful crystal lining.

The story is the same for those who refuse to examine new possibilities because their minds are closed. Life’s greatest opportunities, like the geode, often come in ordinary packaging. Do not allow yourself to become such a creature of habit that you simply go through the motions and let life happen to you.

Just taking a new route to work, putting together a jigsaw puzzle, reading a newspaper instead of watching television, or visiting a museum at lunchtime will stimulate your thought processes and may help you open your mind to new possibilities.