What is a beginner’s mind? It’s letting go expectations or preconceptions about what you need to do, how you need to do it and what must happen when you do it. Instead, you allow yourself to be centered in the beginning, letting yourself to sit with an open mind. When you are learning something new, you are a beginner, who needs to sit with the confusion of not knowing. Not knowing makes us uncomfortable so we try to create something rather than sit with the not knowing.
When you are working towards a change in your life, you need to create a clean slate. A clean slate is about putting aside:
- Thoughts you carry around in your head all the time about how hard the change will be.
- Maybe you tried in the past to make the change and wasn’t successful.
- Or maybe you feel overwhelmed what you need to do and emotionally you want to close off your feelings.
How do you get past all these thoughts that take up a lot of space and energy in your mind? By creating space in your mind, so you have the power to make changes. That’s why cultivating a beginner’s mind is important
A beginner’s mind embraces an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when crafting your next steps in moving out of procrastination and into creating what you need.
It’s not always easy to have a beginner’s mind, as our brain is wired to be close so to be more efficient. When we think about making a necessary change, we have preconceived thoughts about the challenges as well as our own beliefs about ourselves that hinder our ability to move forward with the change. A closed mind blocks whereas an open mind provides us with possibilities.
What is openness?
Openness to new ways of seeing the same situation. We marvel at a child’s way of looking at the world, with curiosity, and awareness of what is going around them. Take the time to be mindful of your thoughts and feelings and start to create a new way to look at them. Many people are unsure they can do the change. Examples would be looking for a job, losing weight, or changing negative thoughts. When you lock into this thought, you close the possibilities of what you can do. Start to think like a beginner, one who has never met you create a new slate of thoughts about you.
When you are willing to view yourself differently and see the value in the change you want to incorporate, then you will be able to move forward. All you need to do now is think about how it would feel to be open to the possibility that you can change
What is eagerness?
Eagerness is your energy force, a desire to be successful, no matter what. Believing anything is possible and working towards your goal until you are successful. It’s stating, “I can have this” and allowing the possibilities that are available to you to become real.
If you have been trying for a while to make the change, it’s difficult to be open and eager around the potential move. Try becoming aware of your negative thoughts, and replace them with more positive beliefs and this will help you build energy.
Eagerness is an attribute that propels you forward. It’s about taking a chance to believe in yourself.
What is lack of preconceptions?
Preconception is an opinion formed beforehand. For example:
- You may have a belief that you are not good enough. This belief hinders your ability to process additional information about your value.
- You have a belief that you have tried numerous times and why would this be different.
- Maybe you think you will never be successful
- Add your preconceptions here
Whatever your beliefs, be aware that they are powerful as “thoughts are things.” What you think is most likely to happen. If you go about your desired change with a beginner’s mind, you can decide to challenge all those stale, old, not useful, interfering beliefs that do absolutely nothing for you. Much better to take a positive spin on what you can do, and you can only do that if you are willing to be open to changing beliefs that no longer work for you.
Your Thoughts
What will you lose by creating a Beginner’s Mind? What would you gain by taking a deep breath and allowing yourself to be ok with where you are present.
Women’s Group Topics
Women have a great need to prove themselves and if your group is strong and provides a safe place for everyone, encourage others to be centered in not knowing, to exploring and not giving advice. Advice giving should only be given when someone requests it and instead sit with the person’s thoughts and try not to control them.
Be well,
Pat
“To fully enjoy the ‘richness’ of our lives, we need to stop long enough to visit with ourselves.”
(Pat Brill)
Other Posts You May Be Interested In
How to Live a “No Excuses” Life
Your Thoughts Become Your Actions
Follow the Possibilities in Life
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