How to be less judgemental
How I did it: I started noticing how often I made snap judgements based on how people looked. It was nearly every individual I saw. I decided I was not going to judge people anymore but realized after a little while that it was very ingrained.
Next I decided to focus on WHAT people were doing instead of how they looked to see if my initial judgements were accurate pictures and discovered that often they were not at all.
I also tried to notice how often I was judged inaccurately. I realized that my judging was a way to try and feel ok about myself. It came from my own insecurity.
Lessons & tips: One thing that really helped me were ideas in Buddhism that delve into our egos and unhealthy ways we try to shore them up and new ways of strengthening compassion and openness. The practice of tonglen (Shambala Buddhism) was very helpful to me. It is a way to access your inherent compassion for yourself and others.
Resources: for a brief description of tonglen http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/tonglen1.php
