Art of Friendship Social-Coping Tip #8: Be Bendy = Change Your Mind…On Purpose

When you are BENDY of mind, you can keep yourself calm, your reputation great, and friendships strong. If you and another person have DIFFERENT MINDS about something (Tip #3), you may disagree. Also, if the schedule requires a transition or if plans change, you need to shift. You don’t want to SNAP. When these things happen it’s time to INTENTIONALLY CHANGE YOUR MIND…why?... because it’s GOOD FOR YOU (and your partner or group). Here’s how:

Imagine, whatever you are thinking or doing is in the FRONT OF YOUR MIND; point at your forehead. If you are NOT BENDY, your idea is stuck hard in the FRONT OF YOUR MIND. You can’t stop thinking, doing, or saying it. Careful, someone will SNAP with frustration.

Instead, remember that everything else you know is stored in the BACK OF YOUR MIND. Touch the back of your cranium. The BACK OF YOUR MIND is where you keep all the memories, ideas, and thoughts you aren’t using right now. To be BENDY you must pluck the UNHELPFUL THOUGHT from the FRONT OF YOUR MIND and move it to the BACK. Then, select a NEW HELPFUL THOUGHT from the BACK OF YOUR MIND and move it to the FRONT, where you can use it.

Think, “I will CHAGE MY MIND ON PURPOSE BECAUSE IT’S GOOD FOR ME (or the class, the friendship, the family, or group). Use hand motions practicing moving stuck thoughts from the FRONT to the BACK and bringing helpful solutions to the FRONT.

Onward and upward! –Mike