When I first heard of this concept, I already had over 20 years experience with the same organization. There was much that I knew and had had the opportunity to experience first hand. Then I
learned that it was that very knowledge and experience that got in the way of me being able to innovative and create breakthrough strategies! To do that, I needed to be able to see things with an open, curious, beginner's mind. And then I started to play with that...
It was very hard at first to enter a meeting or a conversation leaving all that I knew at the door. Once I got the hang of it, I loved it, found it to be very freeing, creative and fun! I also found myself being entertained by others reacting with a "we tried that before, it didn't work" or "that won't work here" or "that never works". The source of my entertainment was quite obvious. Without forcing myself into a beginner's mind, it might have been me saying those words! And I too would have felt that I was saying exactly the right thing!
Beginner's mind is a willingness to question everything, especially that which you think you already know. It comes authentically by standing fully in curiosity versus knowledge. It is a willingness to question what we think we know with a heathy humility that there might be another way, a better way. It only requires that we willingly put our egos aside, our egos that get fed by our thinking that we are the expert and do know, if not it all, at least most of all!
All revolutionary change throughout history came because someone questioned some sacred-cow or belief and thereby introduced a new way to see, do or connect things that had never been seen, done or connected in that way before.
Beginner's mind combined with expertise creates the most powerful kind of resource - truth. And the truth of today can look totally different than the truth of our yesterday!
Practice full-on curiosity and see what a beginner's mind can do for you!