"FORCING YOUR OPINION"

By Maxwell Maltz, M.D., F.I.C.S.
On Being Opionated (orig. title)

One of the great problems throughout the ages has been that too many of us try to force our opinions on others, implying that we cannot be wrong. This leaves little room for self improvement and throws a roadblock in the path of success. Imagine ten of the greatest living painters seated at a round table painting an apple in the center of the table. Each will paint the apple differently because each sees the apple differently.

It is the same with opinion. Beliefs are different depending on many factors of birth and environment, and we color opinion by these factors. The tragedy of being opinionated is that it prevents growth, progress, and self-fulfillment. It implies perfection; and since no one can be perfect at all times, it is a foregone conclusion that the opinionated person – in defending his weakness -- will be unhappy and isolated.

What can you do to prevent being opinionated? You can make it your business to listen, to hear the thoughts of others. You might be wrong in your opinion, and then you must have the capacity to make a worthwhile change.

Being opinionated is a negative trait; open-mindedness is a constructive trait. The first leads to failure and isolation, the second to success and friendship.

You can stop being opinionated by stretching out your hand of friendship to other, by learning from others, by realizing that others have the same rights as you, that all of us came into this world to succeed and not to fail. You can thus reactivate the success mechanism within you instead of holding on to a failure trait.

Remember the words of James Russell, "The foolish and dead alone never change their opinion."