Adopt a Beginner's Mindset

We don’t need to work harder, do more, and move faster. Over the long haul, that takes its toll on you and the company you work for.

You can adopt a new way of being—one that leads to a new way of life. Reinventing yourself has less to do with time and effort than it does with thoughtful, reflective consideration—the kind of inner work that allows you to choose who you want to be and how you want to show up.

What you have been taught to believe may be true—but what if it isn’t?

Earlier in my career, I had something I proudly referred to as my “playbook.” You have one too; we all do. It’s the rules for business or life that we convince ourselves are true. Things that have been programmed into us as to what we can and cannot do because of how business or life is supposed to work.

When I first wanted to change my life experience, my coach helped me discover that this playbook was keeping me from moving forward. The reasons I had for defending my playbook are probably the same ones you have: I was afraid of change. I was paralyzed to act, not because I didn’t know what to do, but because I didn’t know how to do it. Like many leaders, I thought I had to appear as if I knew all the answers. I was chained to past experiences, which clouded my view of what could happen in the future. When I learned that I could make the choice between defending my playbook or adopting the skill of a “beginner’s mind,” things began to change—and fast.

What if your perceptions about something are incorrect—and the playbook you’ve used for years was wrong?

I was captivated when someone posed this question to me. The decision to adopt a beginner’s mind became obvious. Here’s what happened when I consciously practiced having a beginner’s mindset: I started asking more questions—questions that led to new approaches and solutions. I welcomed and embraced change instead of fearing it. I became open to help and assistance, thereby getting better results through shared thinking. I released the limiting beliefs of my past—and realized the power I have to create the future.

In a beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In a worried mind, there are few.

Adopting a beginner’s mind is a simple tool. It’s a reminder to remain curious. The real learning occurs when we have an explorer's mentality. Unfortunately, we have all been programmed with so many assumptions about how we think something works—to later discover that most of our assumptions are in fact, false. Save yourself some suffering. Adopt a beginner’s mindset.

For more, visit Leadership X University at lxu.training

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