Awareness with a Beginner’s Mind
Why being a beginner, not an expert, will help you grow exponentially.
Having a beginner’s mind is such a powerful and playful practice to embody in all aspects of life. When we have a fixed mindset and believe we have all the answers, it leaves nothing left to experience and we never grow.
Transformation happens when we are curious, patient and committed to our full selves - physically and emotionally.
Watch happy, young children on the playground or in a preschool classroom willing to try anything. They trust themselves to silly-dance, laugh, try, cry, and fail, unapologetically. We love their courage and enthusiasm, but as we age and go through the various stages in life, we lose our innate desire to be this kind of playful. We play it safe and color inside the lines, instead of outside the lines. It doesn’t matter how old you are, being curious and playful is a right of passage, at any age.
As we get older, we hold back, bite-our-tongue, play small and safe. When we stop trying to be perfect and lean in to curiosity, and ask lots of questions, we learn valuable lessons along the way.
Have you ever heard of the expression, “Do something that scares you everyday”?
This small but powerful quote changed my life on many levels. When I think “I can’t”, I remember these words and ask myself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen”? Usually the answer is, I might fail, I might lose, I don’t have it all figured out yet, or the best one, I will disappoint myself and others. The truth is IF I DON’T TRY, or IF YOU DON’T TRY, we will NEVER KNOW our true strengths (and weaknesses). Freedom comes from this place. Free yourself from guilt, doubt, fear, perfectionism, and disappointment, by never regretting not trying.
Make a list of things you want to do but are afraid of trying. Start to check them off. They do not have to be extreme. Here are some examples that come to mind to help inspire you…
Pick up the phone to call a friend you haven't talked to for a long time.
Trusting yourself to speak up in a meeting at work to express your opinion, idea or ask for a raise.
Join a group fitness class.
Lose weight, start to exercise, maybe run a 5K , or walk around the block.
Take a creative artistic class.
Learn a new language.
Start to explore foods you’ve never tried before and experiment in the kitchen with new and healthy recipes on the weekends, when you have more time.
You get the idea! What’s on your list? Remember, if you don’t try, you will never know.
Make a list of things you’ve already tried and considered them to be a failure, or that you were not appreciated, or decided to give up before you actually finished and gave it your best effort. What did you learn from those experiences? We always learn something and if we forgive ourselves and trust our intuition, the benefits of trying are immeasurable.
When I practice being a beginner with a sense of curiosity, I get out of my head and drop into my heart!
As a health coach, yoga teacher and wellness enthusiast, I wake up everyday, excited to be alive and I am living my purpose to the best of my ability, with the hope that I am leaving a trail of inspiration along my path. It feels good to feel good, and it doesn’t happen magically, it takes discipline, consistency, hard work, support, guidance, and new positive habit changes to see results that move you towards a better, more healthy, vibrant version of yourself.
