A third-generation barber’s son was off doing his graduate work and had not been
home in over a year. The barber and his son grew up in this farming community
where families come into town on the weekend to shop, the kids get their haircuts,
and mom and dad do their shopping, and maybe they get their hair cut. This third
generation barber shop has become a community staple. It’s a place where
families come. They’ve got male, and female hairstyling people. This is in the mid-,
maybe late-seventies. They’ve got a coffee bar and they’ve got a donut shop, and
it’s a gathering place for people to gather.
The son goes off, finishing up his graduate school, he’s gone over a year and
intermittently checks in, but he comes home on spring break and finds his father
distant, quiet, and even depressed. As the few days that he’s going to be there is
coming to an end, he finally gets his dad, and he sits him down and says, “Talk to
me. What is going on?” His dad says, “We’re going bankrupt. I don’t know what to
do. I’m the third generation and it’s going to close under my leadership.” His son
says, “Well, what’s happening?”
This is during the time where the low-cost cutting salons were moving in across
America. One of those establishments had recently moved into town and was
offering six-dollar haircuts. The father explained, “There is no way I can compete
with six-dollar haircuts. I can’t pay the overhead. I’ve run numbers every way I can.
I’ve gone through all of the reserves, and we have maybe enough to survive
another thirty days, but at this rate it’s over. I didn’t want to alarm you, but I don’t
know what we’re going to do.”
The son said, “There has to be an answer to this. By definition, there cannot be a
problem without an answer. We just may not know the answer.”
The son had been studying Napoleon Hill, he’d been studying masterminding, he’d
been studying all kinds of things, and the success principles about how you make
yourself think. In explaining masterminding or thinking beyond the problem. He
said to his dad “Look, just try this out with me. Let’s sit down and we’ll write down
every idea that comes to mind about how this problem could get solved, how you
could stay in business, how you could thrive.” And his father said, “There is no
way. I’ve run the numbers and I can’t compete against six-dollar haircuts.” The son
responded, “Just do the exercise with me. What’s one idea, just give me one idea.”
The father says, “Close the shop.” So he writes it down: Close the shop. That’s an
idea about how to solve that problem, right? It is an idea isn’t it? So he said,
“That’s one idea. Now let’s look at some other ideas.” Then the son says,
“Advertise.”
The dad’s thinking, I did advertise, but he’s already been given the paradigm in
masterminding, which is “no editing.” Once you “edit,” you shut down the stream.
It’s like putting a clamp on the stream to the universal intelligence. No matter
what the idea is, you write it down.
So they’re writing idea after idea and they’re getting a rhythm. They do this for
about 20 minutes and one of those ideas just jumps off the page. They execute
that idea. The son goes back to school.
A few weeks later he calls his Dad and he can tell by his Dad’s voice—the energy is
strong—and he says, “Things are better?” The dad says, “It sure is,” he says. “Not
only did our normal clientele return, we are 11% higher than the highest census
they’ve ever had in the shop.”
Do you know what the idea was? It was to put a big sign on the top of the shop that
said “We fix six-dollar haircuts.”
There is a truth greater than the facts. There is an answer to every question and a
solution to every problem.
10 Ways to Open Your Mind to New Possibilities
Understand that everyone has fears – The biggest affect on people’s lives and
decisions is fear. We’re afraid of failure, afraid of rejection, afraid of change. But
there is no growth or experience in fear! In keeping things the same, you only hurt
yourself and shield yourself from new, enriching experiences. Often fear is a sign
that you are on the green growing edge of something great.
No one is watching you – When trying new things or getting out of our comfort
zone, we tend to think all eyes are on us. It can be pretty intimidating and makes
us quite self-conscious. Over time, you’ll grow to crush your fear and do your new
activity or hobby with confidence. But keep in mind others are looking to gain
footing in their own success and only looking at you for inspiration.
You can’t grow if you don’t try – You can’t expect a plant to grow if you never
put the seed in the soil. You’ll have to actually plant a seed in your life, as well, if
you want to expand your mind and your world. Nothing is holding you back except
yourself. Finances, personal background, education, your upbringing,
socioeconomic status, job—nothing can hold you back if you really don’t want it
to.
Do the things you dream about – What would you love? What’s stopping you
from taking salsa dance lessons, learning guitar, seeing the Grand Canyon, or
training for a marathon? It may be something you have to work toward, save up
for, or make some small sacrifices for, but opening your mind to new things means
trying new things. Take action and make it happen; don’t make excuses!
Visualize who you want to be – You can not achieve what you would love if you
can’t clearly see what it is you’re aiming for. What would you love? How does it
feel? Really visualize being in that moment. And study someone that has what you
want and see what they’re doing differently.
Don’t limit yourself – Do you find yourself thinking of all the reasons that you’re
not capable of doing some things? You pre-define in your head what it is you’re
“able” to do and not do. By doing this you’re limiting your opportunities! Open the
door for yourself and your world and allow yourself to dream big. If you can dream
it, you can do it.
Stop negative self-talk – You will quickly halt your own progress and growth in
life if you’re always talking negatively. It’s important to use phrases like, “I can do
that”, “I’m good at that”, or “I can achieve that” . By using positive language you
will cultivate the mindset you need in order to grow as a person.
Build positive habits – Focus on creating the positive habit. Notice the negative
behaviors and re-pattern. Tell yourself that you CAN do it, that you CAN get the
position. You can do your best, and you can succeed. Start by telling yourself the
positive things so that you will get the results you would love.
The power is yours – If you wait to reach a certain income level before you even
look into starting a new hobby, you are blocking the abundance that is available to
you. It’s only up to you to take action and make a decision. Some things are harder
than others, but once you make a serious decision to make a change or open up
your world in any way, you can change anything.
Have empathy – A big way to expand is to serve other humans. Show them
love, mercy and compassion, even if it’s just mentally acknowledging their
intentions and what they’re going through. People get in bad moods, like we all do,
or they tend not to realize the effect they’re having on others. Realizing this and
spreading kindness for the people you come in contact with will open your mind in a variety of ways and allow you to see the world differently. Leave the world better than yon found it.
Opening your mind to new possibilities is not just about overcoming fears or trying new things—it’s about embracing a mindset of growth and empowerment. By understanding that fear is often a sign of growth, realizing that others are more focused on their journey than on judging you, and actively pursuing your dreams, you can unlock a world of opportunities.
