BEGINNER'S MIND
Like the zen saying that you cannot fill a cup that is already full- we cannot add new ways of thinking to a mind that is full of assumptions and considers itself an expert. We learn more by thinking that we do not know everything already. Each moment of our lives is new and unique. It has never happened before and will never happen again. If we can bring this appreciation to
certain moments, then we notice things that are otherwise habitually missed. It opens up the possibility of new discoveries in our ordinary experiences which we tend to mindlessly drift through on auto-pilot. A beginner’s mind refers to the child-like curiosity of an open mind, that does not miss what is new by sticking to ways of thinking that are old and well-rehearsed. Our mind becomes open to new ways of learning when we cultivate a mental attitude that there are always new ways to learn. Sometimes what we think we know gets in the way of what we need to learn.
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"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities but, in the expert’s, there are few"