Last week, I introduced you to the benefits of adopting a beginner’s mindset and why it’s important to embrace it. With Springtime on the horizon, there’s no time like the present to start something new!
As heart-centered human beings, we want to continue to improve ourselves, our lives, our relationships and our businesses. Well, growth is a constant process of rediscovering what it’s like to be a beginner and moving through the stages of learning.
Learning new things can be amazing fun, but it can also stir up anxiety, doubt and frustration. It’s hard-wired into who we are as a species to seek and expand knowledge, so feeling like we’re in the dark is scary.
The best way to get comfortable with that uncertainty is to adopt a beginner’s mindset. Allow yourself to simply enjoy the act of learning. The freedom to not have to know everything can be very exciting too.
Here are my Top 5 tips to adopt a Beginner’s Mindset and experience the satisfaction that comes from working from the ground up!
1) Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
With every new lesson, skill, and idea, you have to start at square one. Remember that you’re not supposed to know everything at this stage. Remind yourself where you’re at — the beginning, and it is OK to have no clue what you’re doing.
Anytime you realize how much you don’t know, it can be really f-ing hard! So take comfort in the fact that everyone begins here, with everything we do. It will get better as you move through it.
2) Practice Makes Perfect
Learning anything new can place you in an uncomfortable stage between wanting to try and fearing failure. The quickest way to build your confidence is to practice. Practice trying your best, practice failing at it, practice getting back up again. This step is designed to push you out of your comfort zone because that is where change really happens.
(P.S. This is also where inspiration sparks because you’re open to new ideas and ways to succeed. You go, genius!)
3) Roadblocks and Detours
There is no one way to do anything. There are so many roads that will all lead to the same, exact place. Your job is to concentrate on your journey. Easier said than done, right? When the going gets rough, we inevitably start comparing our progress to that of other people.
She knows more than I do.
She’s farther ahead than I am.
She’s better than me.
I cannot compete with her.
If that’s the case, it’s time for a little Judgment Detox! Your perceptions are just that – perceptions. They are not reality. In fact, those people you have on a pedestal are on their own journey, with its own difficulties. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,” including YOU! This is the time to let go of the judgments you hold about yourself and your progress. Your path is the perfect path for you, so own it! Own being a beginner.
4) Enjoy The View!
Commit to the learning rather than the goal at the end. Goals are important and have their place, but they are just destinations, stops along the way. There is a misconception that if you cannot learn and excel at everything within your goal (being the best business owner ever, or a flawless dancer, or an acclaimed writer, etc.) then it’s not worth even trying.
Forget that! There is SO much joy to be found in the journey, and many lessons about yourself to glean along the way. The work is where it’s at!
5) Help, I need somebody. Help, not just anybody…
You wouldn’t pick up a guitar for the first time and expect to immediately play like the Beatles, would you? Or try to snowboard down a black diamond ski run without ever having a lesson? Nope.
Working with a coach, mentor or teacher is a nice (and sometimes essential) way to begin anything new. 😉 It can make the process of adopting a beginner’s mindset more fun and open you up to new ideas you didn’t see before. Plus, it helps you move farther faster with sometimes less effort involved. Your mentor is creating the plan, so you can focus your energy on that practicing!
The best part is that investing in professional guidance forces you to be accountable. You’re required to dedicate time to specific exercises and action steps and check-in with your coach, so it’s harder to flake when you’re frustrated or you hit a setback.
Like any relationship, working with a coach is similar to dating; you want to find someone you respect and click with to be your cheerleader and give you tough love when you need it. And you have a guaranteed platform to ask questions and get clarity around your vision. Being a beginner means you don’t know, so ask someone who does.
Now that you have the steps to adopt a Beginner’s Mindset and get more comfortable with not knowing. Which one will you start with this week? Which one do you think will be the hardest for you to do? Let me know in the comments below!
LOVE + lots of joyous learning!
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