Mark Twain once made a comment that illustrates my grandmother’s idea perfectly. He said: “It is discouraging to try to penetrate a mind like yours. You ought to get it out and dance on it. That would take some of rigidity out of it.”

That’s exactly what we need to do in order to be open to new ideas. We’ve got to take our brains out and dance on them! Do twist. Do a little clogging. Tap. Cha-Cha. Shake it like a Polaroid picture.

We all know people whose brains we’d like to flamenco. And if we’re honest, we’ll admit to needing to have our own brain danced upon from time to time.

It’s not that we set out to be rigid. We establish certain thinking patterns and we build whole belief systems that may or may not serve us well. At some point, we get complacent, lazy, or just plain clueless about boxes we’ve built for ourselves.

We humans have an interesting way of hanging on to old thoughts and beliefs. We end up with a cupboard full of ideas past their shelf life—unexamined, unused, but still taking up space.

Our thoughts become incredibly repetitive as certain cues pop up in course of day.

Let’s say that every morning, you listen to news, full of turmoil and despair, and it reminds you that you’re not sure if you want to have a child with so much uncertainty in world. Then you get in shower and get ready for work, and as you look in mirror, you realize you aren’t getting any younger, and maybe you’d better make that decision to have kids now while you still can. And then, as you drive to work, you pass a school, and you calculate how old you’ll be when your child is same age as students you see. Then you get to office and wonder how you’d be able to juggle work and a family at same time.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Every single day.

That’s just one example. There are many. It could be about your job, your weight, your relationships—you know top ten things on your own mental list. No matter what you’re facing in life, you have cues that bring it up for you again and again. You thought about it yesterday, you’re thinking about it today, and you’re going to think about it again tomorrow.

What if you did some applied thinking? Not just that casual sort of obsessing you do daily, but serious applied thought?

We need to learn how to think more efficiently and effectively. Dr. Edward de Bono is a former Rhodes scholar who was on faculty at Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard universities. He is considered world’s foremost authority on creative thinking.

The best way to thrive in today's ever-fluid, volatile world, is to become a master of change. A "Change Master" not only welcomes, invites and celebrates flux of constantly evolving life, but also consciously drives and directs these rhythms. When you live "smart," you drive change. You don't have to let change drive you. When you shift from a "resistance-to-change" mindset toward a self-empowered frame of mind, you unlock your vitality, creativity and spirit.

Change, Unwelcome Guest

Most of us were not raised to welcome change. On contrary, our modern Western culture promotes opposite: pursuit of predictability. We're advised to try to keep our life as regular, set and stable as possible. The status quo is sacred. The unknown future is portrayed as dangerous and threatening. "Don't rock boat!" we're admonished. The collective strategy is that more aspects of our life that remain same, less we have to adjust and adapt. And less we have to change, easier life will be. The party line is that change is inevitable-unfortunately!-but certainly no fun. Having to constantly change and grow is experienced as a struggle-a challenging, hard ordeal-by most of our elders.

Make Change Your Ally

Indigenous peoples have a different approach to change. Native peoples live closer to Nature than most Westerners do. And they take their cue from Mother Nature who advises: "Make change your friend, your ally. Allow change to work for you, not against you." The natural world suggests we learn to roll with punches, so we can enjoy life exuberantly expressing itself through continual change.

Feng-shui Your Life

If we observe elements of nature, we see that water and wind flow with life's tides of constant change. Water and wind are flexible and fluid, willing to transform shape immediately with fluctuating forces acting upon them. They move in direction of movement of change. They take quickest, easiest path-the path of least resistance-no matter what changes in form are required. Hence, whole philosophy and practice of Feng-shui: art of nurturing energy flow, health and aliveness. The very term literally means "the way of wind and water." In Chinese, "feng" means wind, "shui" means water.

Change as Opportunity

Native peoples wisely view change as a personal opportunity, not as a threat. They know that change brings fresh perspectives and new possibilities. Indigenous peoples look for gift in every curve ball that life throws us. Indigenous cultures welcome surprise and spontaneity that naturally accompany change. They know that more we flow with fluctuations of life, more resilient and happier we are.

"How Can I Steer Change to My Advantage?"