A Beginner’s Mind for Back to School

"The expert knows more and more about less and less until she knows everything about nothing. The beginner, on the other hand, sees endless possibilities."?– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Confession: I’m really bad at school.? To clarify, I’m actually really, really good at performing at school and getting good grades, but I’m really bad at not letting my perfectionist nature take over and ending up a stressed-out mess, or worse, sick and in the ER (yes, it’s happened — multiple times.)

This week I start the classwork portion of my journey toward becoming a certified coach.? Luckily there are no grades, so I don’t have that particular pressure, but there is a final exam before I can be certified.? Being back in a formal learning setting for the first time in a long time, I have a chance to do things differently than I have in the past.? I’ve been thinking about how to best approach this so that I am not so performance and outcome oriented, and I’ve been reading about a concept called: “beginner’s mind.”

Beginner’s mind is rooted in Zen Buddhism, where it’s called shoshin. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and a lack of preconceptions when approaching things. A beginner's mind means seeing things with fresh eyes, free from assumptions or judgments.

I love this idea and am thinking about ways in which I can make this part of my coach training journey.? Here are a few things I’m trying now and will endeavor to hold onto over the next 6 months during my time in school:

1. Practicing Curiosity: ?I consider myself a very curious person, and I feel like if I can maintain my desire to learn for the sake of learning, I’ll be fine.? I know that one easy way to cultivate curiosity is by asking questions rather than assuming answers, and I know that coaching is all about asking questions!
2. Staying Open to Being Wrong: ?I must admit, this is a hard one for me!? I realize that I need to embrace the idea that I don’t have all the answers and that I will make mistakes. It’s super hard for a perfectionist like me to put myself out there in a setting where I don’t feel confident, but I recognize that this type of humility is key to keeping a beginner’s mind. Being willing to be wrong allows one to view mistakes or setbacks as learning experiences rather than failures.
3. Focusing on the Process, Not the Outcome?: Another challenging one!? If you’re someone who has continually been rewarded for being a high producer or creating quality work, you become very focused on outcome.? However, a beginner’s mind is more interested in the journey than the destination. I know that when you focus on the process, you’re more likely to stay present, which opens you up to new insights and awareness.

I’m anticipating this will be a wild ride!? From everything I’ve heard, training to become a coach can be a transformative experience.? For me, I believe learning to let go of some of my perfectionism and my identity as a “straight A student” will enable me to enjoy life more and embrace new experiences without being so worried about messing up.? I will keep you all updated on how it goes!

How about you?? Are there places in your life you’ve been able to embrace a “beginner’s mind?”? I’d love to hear about it!