Connecting With Other Expats: Why a Beautiful Mind is Important | ExpatWoman.com
 

Connecting With Other Expats: Why a Beautiful Mind is Important

Nahla Summers shares how having a beautiful mind can help you to connect better with other expats

Connecting With Other Expats: Why a Beautiful Mind is Important

Being beautiful is one thing, but also exuding beauty in how we behave and react to things in life becomes a wonderful knowledge to have.

Moving abroad you get to know a vast number of people from different cultures, religions and backgrounds. It is bound to happen at one point or another that you will have afflicting points of views and how you handle that situation can either strengthen your relationship or ruin it.

This is where a beautiful mind comes in. Having a beautiful mind will help you to think before you speak, and to respect before you judge. Having a beautiful mind will help you to see the best in people.

See also: How to Make Your Own Life as an Expat and Why It’s Important

Here I will highlight some of the traits of a beautiful mind but also how you can train your brain to be beautiful. Which will no doubt enhance your external natural beauty.

Traits of a beautiful mind

The ability to react in a beautiful way on a difference of opinion on facts (which can indeed be proved either way) is a wonderful trait.

You must have been in a situation when someone is adamant about something and when they are proved right they cackle and point fingers. It is, as I am sure you would agree, a pretty ugly sight. However, the reaction of a beautiful mind might be to compliment the person on their opposing opinion as you too would have thought it may have been this. The important thing for a beautiful mind is to always keep the other person's feelings in the very front of your mind.

The reactions you have to a difference in feelings is a challenging one

Unlike facts, these cannot be proved either way and it is key to remember that a persons feeling are their own. If someone is sad about a situation that you are happy about, it is better to attempt to understand the reasons for their difference rather than just dismiss it. This is just one example and in truth I could give 100 examples on this section. In summary though it important to understand why a person feels that way and then accept that as being the way they feel and explain gently why you feel differently but accept both points of view.

See also: Making Human Connections as an Expat

A beautiful mind will be able to discuss opposing views and ideas

Truly be able to show appreciation for their opposing view and acceptance on why it exists. Beautiful minds are able to discuss their points of view with clarity and consistency.

Beautiful minds are interesting in their opinions, ideas and thoughts.

Beautiful minds are not judgmental

A little blunt and whilst it is last on the list it is the most common trait I see in conversations. You believe in your judgements and ‘telling people’ your thoughts, people believe they are alluding intelligence and life experience but in fact there is nothing further from the truth.

How to train your beautiful mind as an expat

If you have not already read my article on ‘ 5 Key Ways to Be More Interesting as an Expat’, this is a good time to review it as it gives lots of hints and tips on how to be interesting, which is a key to having a beautiful mind.

Give yourself a few seconds before you respond and think kindly

This allows you to take a moment and think about how to word something in a way that accepts what the person is saying but also give an opposing view with clear structure.

If your immediate reaction is to be judgemental on a person and how they live their life maybe choose to instead give praise for the parts of their life that you believe to be wonderful. Alternatively ask them why they live their life with that part to better understand rather than judge.

Learn manners

Being polite and calm when communicating opposing views is vital to hold the persons attention. If you immediately go into a defensive mode, the conversation has been lost. Remember, no one wants to talk to an aggressor.

Don’t take things personally

It is so very difficult sometimes, however the ability to let go of things is a wonderful tool that should be drawn upon not only in your interactions but in life in general.