Be Present
A beginner's mind can make all of the difference.
I’ve been practicing meditation since 2012 when I picked up the book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and it changed my life. The general premise of “beginner’s mind” is to approach everything with curiosity, like a beginner. Like you’ve never seen or encountered the thing before.
Having this mindset helps us stay present. And staying present is what helps us stay more peaceful and at ease. If we get caught up in the past, we churn up all kinds of emotions like sadness or anger. If we get caught up planning for the future, we may feel anxious, anticipatory, or start making a list of things that need to get done.
However, if we approach each moment with a beginner’s mind, it changes the perspective.
Imagine you’re in traffic. No one likes sitting in traffic. You’re thinking about what happened that day at work and what you need to do when you get home. You’re doing anything but being in the present moment because in that moment you are quite literally stuck.
Now try to imagine traffic with a beginner’s mind and be curious. Look at all of the cars around you, and the people inside them. You’re all dealing with the same scenario at the same time, and that’s kind of cool to think about. You’re having a shared experience with complete strangers you’ll never meet. And what about the radio? How crazy is it that the sound you’re listening to is just traveling through the air?! There are so many things to observe and be curious about.
One point of clarification: the point of a beginner's mind is not to simply occupy your mind with things in the present, but rather to observe them. See what’s going on around you and take note.
This is one of the ways I’ve been trying to be 1% better each day: reminding myself to approach things with a beginner’s mind.
It’s easy to say, “be present,” and it’s much harder to do. I find that the instruction of treating each experience like a brand new one helps me stay anchored in the here and now.
I hope this helps you find some stillness in your daily life.
With gratitude,
Natalie
