My son is a college freshman and I went to visit him this weekend, one month into his college life. I was reminded just how intense going to college is–you move to a new place, start a new job, live with a bunch of strangers, and have to figure out everything from where to get food to how to find each of your classes to the preferences and irks of each of your professors.
They won’t be good at it at first. Who would?
When I got my first job as a lawyer, I felt like an idiot most of the time. I didn’t know how to file a court document or how to make the numbers on the sides of the pages line up with the lines of my brief or what was okay to bill for and what wasn’t. Finally, I realized, I’m not dumb, I just haven’t learned this yet. I’m new. Someday, this will be easy.
And it was.
Buddhists have a concept called “Beginner’s Mind.” It’s something to cultivate, an openness to new experiences, a curiosity, an understanding that our expectations may not be met and so we must be alert to the present moment.
For everyone who is starting something new, try to cherish this Beginner’s Mind you’re experiencing. And for those who aren’t starting something new right now, how can you approach what you’re doing today with this same sense of alertness and curiosity? Where could you challenge yourself to do something new or in a new way?
Beginner’s Mind
