The idea of “Beginner’s Mind” is from Zen Buddhism. (It’s called Shoshin). Shoshin refers to having an open mind to a subject, a person, an activity. There is an eagerness to learn more about it, with no pre-conceived ideas or judgements about it. Its described like ‘having the mind of a young child’…where everything is being seen for the first time, with awe and wonder and a desire to learn more.
Who is to say that the way you originally learned something is the best way? What if you simply learned one way of doing things, not the way of doing things?
When we bring Beginner’s Mind to our lives, we invite a new way to see things. We leave our education, our past experiences, our ego behind… and we are open to what’s possible. When we enter into adult experiences in this mindset, we allow ourselves to see different sides of people and to ultimately allow ourselves to think in different ways.
I offer Beginner’s Mind to you as a way to make a shift in something that may be difficult in your life right now. See this situation, this difficult person, for the first time. See it like the video camera would… just the facts… no editorial. Like a 5-year old who keeps asking “Why?” “How?” Get curious. Throw some empathy to the people involved. Keep an an open mind.
Let me know if, or should I say how, your world changes with this new lens on life. :)
