The Gift of a Beginner’s Mind
“One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Beginner’s Mind
How do you feel when you experience new things? What about the times when you first saw a newborn baby, or when you first experienced butterflies in your stomach because you met someone special, or when you first rode your bicycle without help. When you recall these moments, they still bring you joy.
The sense of not-knowing, it being the first time, the feeling of wonder; the innocent understanding that you don’t know, and you’ve never felt or done this before can be exciting, anticipating, and frightening all at once. It is an expansive feeling of freshness. These moments are filled with the beginner’s mind-knower of not knowing.
The newness of each experience
When meeting a baby for the first time, you had no idea what the baby was going to look like. By feeling the butterflies in your tummy, you curiously expected, and finally riding your bicycle without training wheels or help brought the joyful feeling of freedom. Wow! You had no idea how each of these experiences would feel – and then soon, the newest of the experience is gone.
What would happen if you could bring in the newness into situations that are not new? If you decided to live into each situation as if it were new, even though you ‘think’ you know?
Open your mind to a shift in perception
Practicing a beginner’s mind to situations opens your mind to learning more, being willing to grow even more, and hearing, seeing, feeling things differently. You are open to a shift in perception.
Whereas if you face a situation thinking that you know, you are closing the path for a new experience. You ‘think’ that is all there is, even though there is always something new you can take away. But, what if there was more – something new, something you missed?
You are an ever evolving being
Being willing to learn, despite having done, heard, or been there before is wise since you are an ever-evolving being. You are not the same person you were yesterday, so when you experience things again, it is from a different perspective.
Yesterday you heard the information one way, and today you hear it differently because today you have more awareness. Submitting to a beginner’s mind will help you develop and grow even more; you will take in the information or situation differently.
An invitation to Lifework . . .
Practice a beginner’s mind:
Next time you are doing something (listening to a lecture, reading a book, getting up in the morning, going out to a place you visit often) that you’ve done before decide you will see it as if you’ve never done it before. Instead of saying “I know, or I’ve already done this, tell yourself “This is a new experience” and stick to that mindset as you move forward in the situation.
And you will:
- hear and understand things differently or hear new information that is pertinent to who you are today.
- be free from expectations or assumptions about what something means, is, or has for you.
- experience the wonder of curiosity and celebrate learning something new.
- find new solutions to old problems and become more creative on how to deal with situations.
- live more joyful and expansively.
- not seem like a know-it-all 😊
Watch my Facebook live on this subject — https://fb.watch/aNiWBlcsmC/
