The Pearl Only Shows When You Open
Why growth begins the moment you let go of being right
We’ve all heard it: “Change your mindset, change your life.”
But what does that really mean?
Think of a seashell.
When it’s closed, it’s safe. Nothing gets in. Nothing gets out. It feels protected, but it’s also stuck. No light. No fresh air. No new ideas. Just the same old patterns, day after day.
That’s a closed mindset.
A few months ago, I was working with a tech leader who had built a solid track record. He was intelligent, capable, and well-respected. But he was also stuck. Whenever his team brought a new idea, he’d say, “We’ve already tried that,” or “That won’t work for us.” Slowly, his team stopped offering ideas altogether.
When I asked him why, he said, “I just don’t want to waste time chasing things that won’t work.”
Here’s what he didn’t realize—he was already wasting time, not by trying new things, but by shutting them down before they had a chance.
We started small. He began responding with, “Tell me more,” instead of “That won’t work.” He got curious. He listened without jumping to conclusions.
A few weeks later, one of those “new” ideas became a pilot project. That pilot saved the team thousands of hours and brought in fresh energy. People were engaged again. They felt heard.
That’s the power of an open mindset.
It doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. It means creating space, asking questions before making judgments, and showing up with curiosity, not just answers.
A closed mindset wants to be right.
An open mindset wants to learn.
The shell feels safe when closed, but pearls are only visible when it opens.
So maybe the growth isn’t in doing more.
Maybe it’s in softening. In opening.
Reflection question:
Where in your life are you staying safe—and what might open up if you got a little more curious?