Loose Knees

Monday’s Mental Health Tip

Well, the Olympics are over.  If you noticed anything other than the incredible speed and athleticism, you might have noticed how loose their knees were. Think about it for a minute. If their knees had been stiff, or rigid, of inflexible, how successful would they have been in negotiating the bumps and turns they were taking? The skiers, the skaters, the jumpers all had loose knees in order to turn in a peak performance.

The same is true of your attitude toward life. If your attitude is stiff, “I’m afraid to try new things”, or rigid, “There is only one right way to do things,” or inflexible, “I’m right and you are wrong”, you are in for a bumpy ride and, more than likely, a crash and burn.

Having a ‘loose knees’ attitude allows you to be open to new ideas and experiences as you begin to see things from multiple viewpoints. This, in turn opens the door to new opportunities to grow and to solve problems creatively and with less effort. If you can accept that every situation has at least one, if not many more, viewpoints, and you are willing to try to see things from the other guy’s perspective, you can more easily negotiate relationships. No one wants to give in all the time. That’s true for all of the people who are in relationship with you, so give a little, find common ground and build a ‘loose knee’ relationship. You’ll be a happier camper if you do.