IKE Needs to Expand His Horizons!

Happy Friday!

We’ve all known an IKE – the ‘I Know Everything’ person who irritates us with his knowledge and self-righteousness. IKE doesn’t realize or in some cases, doesn’t care that there are other views and opinions.

Someone else may see something differently than we do, and it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. There are very few things in this world that are absolute truths, and most of those have been argued in one form or fashion, from nature to religion to politics. Truths are typically more relative, because most of us are stuck inside our own perceptions. We live our lives according to what we believe is true – that’s all we know. Sometimes the difference in views might be a lack of information, or perhaps just a different experience. Take wine for example. Because people have varying taste buds, backgrounds and experiences, their preference in wine differs. One is not right or wrong – just different. The example of wine may be easy for most of us to grasp. Try expanding this concept of perception to other areas of your life, like accepting others’ opinions.

We all have opinions. We hear them every day. Differing opinions can get us thinking. It makes life interesting. Creativity and growth can be sparked by conflicting opinions. However, it can be destructive when people present their opinion as the only way, and they don’t respect that first of all, it is an opinion. And second of all, not everyone is going to agree with it. And that’s okay. It’s a different view – someone sees something differently than you do. If you are confident in yourself, you won’t feel the need to defend yourself when someone imposes their opinion on you. You’ll be able to say what you want to say, without a lot of drama. You won’t feel the need to impose your opinion on them. You’ll give them an opportunity to voice their opinion and you’ll respect where they are in their view. And when you do get defensive… well, that’s an opportunity for awareness and you can look inside to see what’s up with you and discover more about yourself.

When we dig deep and look at IKE (whether it’s our own nickname at the moment or someone else’s), it’s usually ego that is getting in the way. When we are open to other possibilities, and not stuck in the confines of limited thoughts and beliefs, it will open doors and expand horizons. 

Cheers,