Stay Open-Minded

Stay Open-Minded

Today on the show we’re going to try to be open minded, which is much harder than any of us give it credit for. We human beings tend to think that we see it all, understand it all, and know it all. But the philosopher Socrates said it best, the man who knows most, knows he knows nothing.  We here at Monkey Minds are strong believers in dialectics - or the understanding that there is more than just one side to anything. So why are we all so certain that our way is the right way? Certainty kills curiosity and so in an appeal for us all to listen more and talk less, we’re going to open our minds to being more open minded and hope you can be so gracious as to hear us out.

We need to fidget

Today on the show we’re going to fidget. If you’ve got a kid in school, you’re probably sick and tired of all the gadgets and gizmos aplenty, not to mention all those whoozits and whatsits galore. Even if you don’t have kids, chances are you’ve been exposed to the endless stream of things to play with, flick, spin, click, and clack, but do any of them actually do anything to help our focus and attention?  In today’s episode we consult an expert to talk to us about sensory needs, fidget tools versus fidget toys, and the process of understanding yourself interoceptively. Alicia Wimmer is an Occupational Therapist with over thirteen years of experience and we’re thrilled to have her along to explain to us the values and pitfalls of all the choices that are out there.

Resilience

Today on the show we consider resilience. The world is a hard place these days…but really it’s been that way for a while…maybe forever. So how do people now or people who came before us deal with hardship? From what we can tell, the answer is pretty straight forward. Resilience. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.    In today’s episode we explore what resilience is, how to figure out if you’ve got it, how to grow your resilience, recognize when you could use a little more, and then flip the tables and talk about how to help your friends and family and when to recognize that have you been strong enough and could or should look for help.

Communication

Today on the show we consider communication. In our increasingly polarized world, nothing can seem more difficult than to communicate with another human being. When faced with a difficult topic, many of us would rather shrink away from the opportunity than to risk conflict, but we’re going to make the argument that if you know how to communicate skillfully, there’s nothing that’s off the table.      In today’s episode we’re going to talk about TALK and CLEAR. Two acronyms that have helped us navigate difficult conversations and feel more confident when approaching uncomfortable moments. We can’t promise that these skills will solve all of the challenging conversations you might have, but they can help make them easier.

Persistence

Today on the show we consider persistence and bring in some special expert guest stars to help us explore it in more detail. Persistence is commonly considered as continuing firmly or obstinately on a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. But Mirriam Webster isn’t the only one with an opinion.    In today’s episode we ask our expert panelists about their definition of persistence, their experience with it, why wanting to be persistent is great - but being persistent takes work, how the reward isn’t always about hitting the game winning shot - but rather the feeling of accomplishment that you get by knowing how you’ve grown.