THE BEGINNER'S MIND
The beginner’s mind is a place of awkwardness and embarrassment, learning and wonder, as it moves us forward toward the joy of accomplishment and skill development. The child-like emotions that arise in the novice and the amateur are challenging, healing and exhilarating. These emotions keep us young, awakening and renewing the spirit in which we were born, and into which we are destined to evolve. Too much repetition can take us into deep ruts, where we find ourselves stuck and stagnant, growing ever more irritated and impatient with imperfections, the inevitable imperfections of life that are actually designed to move us forward to new growth and change. As a beginner, we stand on the threshold of mystery, balanced between fear and excitement, challenge and opportunity. On this edge, this precipice that marks the boundary between the familiar and the unknown, we are alive, activating brain cells and developing new muscle strength with which to step forward into the abyss of our undiscovered self. If you are one, such as I am, who is blessed with some degree of stability and predictability in your life, take advantage of your blessings and start something new. Stretch yourself, and find out who this is inside you, waiting to dance, sing, play and create beauty for the rest of the world to enjoy.
