Article: If you want to be more open-minded, then you have to broaden your horizons any way you can. Educating yourself is a broad idea, and you can achieve this through going to school, taking some night or online classes, or just by reading more books and watching online tutorials about how to do more things. The more educated you are, the less like you are to fall victim to bias. Spend three hours on wikiHow next Sunday and learn how to do ten new things. Then, try them out. Being more educated will make you more informed and less likely to form close-minded opinions. Being educated will also help you hold your ground in your position if you like to argue, and it will also help you become more open to the point of view of the person you're arguing with. It's hard to be open-minded without reading. You should read widely: non-fiction, literary fiction, magazines, newspapers, blogs, or almost any kind of reading materials will enrich your life and make you understand that there are an infinite amount of ways to live and enjoy your life. Read a book about a country you've never been to, or a book about a political movement you don't know much about. The more you know, the more power you'll have to make educated decisions and to be more open-minded. Start a Goodreads account and try to tackle at least three books a month, at first. See what other people are reading and get inspired. Spend hours at a bookshop perusing the shelves until you find a book that speaks out to you. Then, make a goal of finishing it by the weekend. Join a book club. This will make you even more open to a wide variety of literature and will expose you to a number of new opinions. Though many people have a limited budget, you should make a habit of traveling when you find the money. If you only have a little bit of money to spare, just travel to a fun destination a few hours away from your hometown and try to learn something new. If you have more money to work with, go look at the Mayan ruins in Mexico, check out the plethora of museums in Paris, or spend a weekend in Montreal. If you can't afford to travel, watch the Travel Network. Though it won't be as exciting as the real thing, it will give you more perspective into how people live in other countries. Volunteer in a foreign country. This is a great way to give your time while exploring a new place. Learning a foreign language is a great way to broaden your horizons right from the comfort of your own home. Order Rosetta Stone, get another language learning guide, or even invest in a private tutor or take a class in the language. You'll understand how anything linguistic system works and will end up having a better understanding of your own. You'll also pick up some information about a foreign culture and will understand more about the world. If you get really committed to the language, you can find other native speakers to talk to. This will help you learn even more about the world. You can watch foreign films in this language to get a better sense of how people speak. You'll also gain valuable insights into the culture you are learning about. Maybe you're afraid of heights. Go stand on the roof of a building (if it's allowed). Hate going to noisy restaurants? Make a dinner date and see if you survive. Afraid of meeting new people? Go to a singles' mixer or a meet-and-greet in your town or let your friend drag you to a party. Make a habit of doing this as often as you can and you'll slowly feel your mind opening up. Write down five things that make you really uncomfortable. Find a way to do as many as you can. This will take time and courage but you'll feel better for it. Whether you watch just two hours of TV a week or if you watch two hours a day, you can make a habit of watching something that opens up your mind instead of closing it off further. Put away those reruns of crime shows you've seen a million times and change the channel from Maury Povich. It's time to watch the History Channel, see if a classic film is playing, or watch a documentary about the environment. Don't watch anything that you feel is only making you stupider. You're better off staring at the wall. Check out Turner Classic Movies. You'll gain a new appreciation of classic films and may change your opinion of anything made before 2010. You may like eating your three favorite foods, but if you want to be more open-minded, then you should check out the new Burmese or Ethiopian place everyone has been talking about. Never had food from El Salvador? It's never too late to try. Sure, Mexican, Italian, and Chinese are old favorites, but if you want to be more open to new experiences, then you'll have to try new things, even if you have no idea what they'll taste like. If you're trying a completely new cuisine, try to go with a friend who is an expert and knows exactly what to order. This will increase your chances of having a good time. The next time your friend invites you over for dinner with his or her family, don't make a lame excuse for staying in. Sure, meeting a friend's parents or siblings can be a little intimidating, and understanding the dynamics of another family isn't always easy. But hanging out with your friend and his or her family will make you see that there are multiple ways to live, and that the way you were raised isn't the only way to live. Your friend's parents might be more funny, strict, entertaining, exciting, quiet, or friendlier than yours. No two families are alike, and you'll see that every family has its good and bad sides. If your friend's parents come from another culture, then learn about it to broaden your horizons! When you're heading out for that soul-crushing morning commute, turn off Katy Perry and put on KCRW. Sure, pop music may give you some pump-up points to help you feel even more caffeinated in the morning, but nothing will wake you up and make you feel better than some food for thought. Make a goal of listening to talk radio when you get in the car next time and see how much you learn. Genres like classical and jazz can ease you into the day, while upbeat Latin or reggae music can wake you up quickly to prepare for the day ahead. Listening to other experts talk about a variety of political and social topics will give you a better sense of what's going on in the world. It's like reading the news without picking up the paper.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Educate yourself. Read more. Travel as much as you can. Learn a foreign language. Get out of your comfort zone. Educate yourself when you watch TV. Eat food from a cuisine you've never heard of. Have dinner with your friend's family. If your friend's family have different political or religious opinions, take it as an opportunity for an intellectually exchange, as long as it stays friendly. Listen to talk radio instead of pop music. If you desperately need your music fix, try something new! You can also download podcasts on a variety of topics on the iTunes or Android stores.