The Art of Beginning

Tips for when you find yourself facing a new challenge.

Change can cause anxiety. The first day at a new job, going on a first date, having your first child – every such change in your life creates a new beginning. And being a beginner is one of the hardest challenges you can face.

With beginnings comes risk. While everyone’s life is filled with beginnings – both large and small – many people have trouble allowing themselves to take a risk.
By definition, a risk never lies within your comfort zone. Often, however, comfort zones can mask the feeling of what it means to really be alive.

For many people, the pressure to be perfect can be overwhelming and the harsh truth about trying new things is that you have to open yourself to the possibility of failure and looking foolish. If you’re over the age of 5, say, this is a difficult prospect. Everyone likes to be an expert – to feel like you already possess all the answers. However, this way of thinking can prevent you from trying new things.

In Buddhism, the practice of living a Zen life is living with a beginner’s mind. The famous words of Buddhist scholar Shunryu Suzuki, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few,” help to focus the meaning of being a beginner. When you approach a new situation with all the answers, sometimes you forget to ask the important questions.

Can you remember what it was like when you were a child and stared at something in amazement? Chances are, you were full of questions. Your curiosity far outweighed your fear of the unknown. It is with this mind that you should approach all tasks, especially new ones. To be a novice is like giving yourself an open space, and when you approach new tasks in such a liberating environment, you grant yourself one of life’s greatest gifts: possibility.

There are great benefits to trying new things with an open heart. If you allow yourself to view beginnings as a child might, then your expectations won’t be burdened with measures of success and failure. You will experience the freedom to approach a new beginning without the fear of looking foolish.

Beginnings are a fundamental part of life. When faced properly, they can bestow the gifts of self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. The three key steps to living life with a beginner’s mind are:

1 - Give yourself permission to explore like a child, and perhaps even to look foolish in the attempt.

2 – Put aside your judgments and comparisons and allow yourself to truly be a beginner.

3 – Be nice to yourself — you are, after all, only human and not perfect at all things.

In the next few weeks, you will more than likely stand at the precipice of a new beginning. As you feel the fear begin to develop and the voice of caution start to shout its warning, let go of the answers you believe you already possess and try to embrace the questions – because it’s questions, not answers, that lead to wonder.

Emily Foster is a freelance writer based in the Los Angeles area where also works on commercial production teams. She enjoys writing as it keeps her focused on finding bliss in her own life everyday.