Improve Your Mindset With Curiosity

(mouse clicks) (light music) Headspace Studios. Hi, my name is Dora. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Wednesday. So last year I went through a breakup with the love of my life, and it was gut-wrenching to say the least. The good thing is I have a deep support network and they came to my aid in such thoughtful and caring ways. They really wanted to help, but I started to feel bombarded with advice, information and opinions on how I should move forward. And I don't wanna sound ungrateful for the love that I received but this breakup was very painful and what I needed was silence and solitude. Eventually I just shut myself off from my friends and family and this resistance made me think about how easy it is to forget that everyone in everything is a teacher and holds a sense of purpose in our life. So I was on my post breakup get myself back together journey, and I did what most people do, I think. I started working out more and taking care of myself, and this one particular morning, I took my workout outside and decided to jump rope to get my blood flowing. I headed out to a park behind my house surrounded by big beautiful ancient oak trees. It was windy and raining, typical Vancouver weather, and as I was skipping, I see this lady in the distance, a complete stranger walking towards me. I had my headphones on, which is code for do not disturb. So I'm skipping, trying not to make eye contact and she's doing the exact opposite, trying to make direct eye contact, still walking in my direction. And as she's getting closer I noticed she's trying to make conversation with me and I was really just wanting to get my workout done. Eventually I took my headphones off and she's like, "Be careful, dear. You should move from where you're skipping because it's so windy and these trees are old. A branch may snap and hit you on your head." And for a split second, I felt that wave of resistance in my body, like, "Yeah, right." But I remembered earlier that morning I had set an intention to be open to receive guidance and here it was plain and clear, "Get out of the way." So I moved, and lo and behold, a few minutes later, a branch snaps off from one of the trees and falls right where I was skipping. There's a quote from the legendary Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron that says "If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher." And I think sometimes we discredit or discount certain experiences because we just assume that they don't serve a purpose in our lives but they really do. We just have to be able to open our hearts, shift our perspectives and look outside of our expectations. We run the risk of blocking our...