Rigidity.

My tennis coach once told me that I should hold the Racquet firmly but not tightly. In the arrogance of youth , i assumed that I knew what he meant but really did not for a long time. One day my opponent served a powerful serve and the racquet twisted in my hand. Then I realised what he meant.
The Racquet, ( sword, kitchen knife , whatever. ) should be firmly held so that the knife does not change its position when it meets resistance
bu tat the same time you can move it any way you want to achieve your goal. A firm grip ensures that the weapon functions exactly as the wielder wants it to , and not on its own. On the other hand when you hold it rigidly other muscles in your hand, wrist,elbow and shoulder also get strained and become rigid which does not permit you instantaneously make changes in the direction and angle of attack.
A rigid mindset which does not permit any accommodation or revisiting the hypothesis on which it is based can be disastrous in life .
Even an illustrious and wise person like Bhishma was not able to avoid the consequences of a rigid mind set.
Mental rigidity is defined as our inability to change our mind even all signs points to a need to change our thoughts , beliefs or opinions. We are unable to see or refuse to see a different point of view .Sometimes it may be that we have become comfortable with a mind set and are afraid to change .People with fixed mind set feel that their qualities are fixed and cannot be changed.
Again a incident from Mahabharata. When Lord Krishna tried to teach Duryodhana , the error of his ways, Duryodhana told Krishna that he does not need any advice. He said, “I know what is “right”but i cannot bring myself to do it ; I know what is wrong but i cannot stop myself from doing it. “ This is a classic rigid mind set . On the other hand Arjuna when faced with his existential crisis implores Krishna to teach him how to change and do his duty.
There is no silver bullet to change our strong beliefs and prejudices. Some of these have been reinforced again and again and have become well entrenched. Like any change management , the first thing is to become aware of this mental defect of ours . Meditation and affirmations are very helpful in changing these bad habits.Continued meditation will make us aware when we are falling into our pattern of becoming more and more rigid and refusing to change. We must practice open mindedness and try to wean ourselves out of our habitual behaviour. Visualisation is another proven way to reprogram our minds. There are many resources available for learning and practicing meditation and visualisations..
A flexible mindset has enormous benefits and can be life changing.It will let you enjoy life more fully. It will improve relationships,both at work and home. Never be stressed about being perfect.Become better at taking responsibility for your choices.