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| Level Your Life [The Level of the Beginner´s Mind][2.11] |
Beginner´s Mind
Shunryu Suzuki in his classic work Zen Mind, Beginner´s Mind, writes "In the beginner´s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert´s mind ,there are few"
There is a tremendous advantage to be gained by clearing your mind through meditation and then focusing your attention on the possibilities awaiting you. Don´t let preconceived biases prevent you from being attuned to your human potential.
In 1954, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier in the mile run, which the experts considered impossible at the time. Yet within the next year and a half, over fifty athletes around the world ran it in under four minutes. They could now see the possibility and were open to doing what was required to reach that once "impossible" level of performance.
The warrior´s mind is a beginner´s mind, one that is open, receptive, and nonjudgmental ; with this mind, all is possible.
We want to encourage you to follow Bannister and challenge your beliefs, seeing them as limits and going beyond them. For example, you might say, "It could never happen", or "I´m not strong enough, fast enough,good enough" Start to notice how these words limit you, and then with a beginner´s mind, turn such statements around. Say "I can do it - I am strong," as you try to run up that hill or lift that weight.
When you´re feeling stuck in failure, loss, or setback, take the adventurer´s approach, in which you give yourself permission to start again fresh.
After a poor shot, for instance, approach the next shot and say to yourself "Here is a new beginning, a chance to start again - every shot is an opportunity to demonstrate my greatness."
Always come out in the second half and play if the score is zero-zero, even if the other team is up.
Use this beginner´s mind-set to increase your chances to experience the extraordinary.
Declaration: The more I develop the beginner´s mind and remain open to possibilities by questioning limits, the more I perform freely to play up to my capacity.
Reflection : What are three of my most powerful limiting beliefs, and what can I do to change them and go beyond them ? What is possible if I free myself to play to my capacity ? What do I need to do to accomplish this ?
[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]
