There’s More to Beginner’s Luck Than You Might Realize
As a yoga teacher, my girlfriend has introduced me to many new concepts over the years. One particularly transformative idea is that of having a beginner’s mind. Approaching things brand new every time and being receptive to what comes next.
Zen Buddhism calls this practice Shosin, jazz calls it improvisation, and others call it beginner’s luck.
A beginner is actively learning a new skill. Exploring and looking to others for help is necessary. This exploration can lead to innovation — or that seemingly random success we attribute to someone just starting in a field.
Think about the most recent skill you’ve practiced. What was it?
For me, it’s making Lofi beats. I’m a beginner, so I’m exploring everything. I’ve been watching YouTube videos, reading blogs, and talking to friends.
Even early into this learning experience, I noticed my tendency to stick with the familiar. I was learning how to input my guitar into the computer, but the video used a different software program. I almost passed it up but thought I might learn something. If I make an effort to maintain openness, there’s always more opportunity.
Generally, as we learn a new skill, we stop exploring different ways to do it. We are animals of routine — routines help us take away the uncertainty of our lives.
Let’s take another example:
Many of us have a job in which we utilize routines.
The alarm rings, this cues us to wake up, we do our morning routine and get to work. Our reward is a paycheck, and we usually follow this proven routine.
Once the morning routine is over, the next ones begin. At work, a project deadline pops up, and you do the job the same way you’ve always done it. It works.
This cycle isn’t necessarily bad. It gets us results, and that’s why we are stuck in it. However, routines can stifle our growth and innovation if we don’t make an effort to change them.
The power of intentionally trying new things and forcing yourself to think like (or with) a beginner can be seen all over.
A perfect example is Jazz musicians and improvisation.
While talking about what jazz can teach us, author Frank Barrett goes into great detail about how our routines are like success traps. They entice us to stop exploring and stick with what worked.
Instead of striving for perfection and routines, Barrett offers the story of Miles Davis and his recording of the album Kind of Blue.
“Jazz musicians have to sort of trick themselves into unlearning their own routines and habits, so they don’t automatically fall back into cliches.”
Even if you haven’t listened to Kind of Blue, you can appreciate its feats as a real innovation.
Davis was an experimenter with his music and styles. He wasn’t afraid to look to those with less experience than him, knowing that they had something new to offer. He wasn’t stuck on perfect and finding the best way. One of these less experienced members was his pianist, Bill Evans.
In an interview for the Miles Davis Festival, Evans talks about how Miles’ shift to different scales created “new kinds of challenges” for the other artists. Challenges that forced them to look at the process as a beginner.
Davis didn’t worry about perfection. He didn’t want to be an ‘expert.’
The recordings on Kind Of Blue were first takes, not omitting errors or mistakes that may have fulfilled a certain standard at the time.
The result of letting go of perfection and habitual patterns? An iconic and quadruple-platinum album that still resonates with people 60 years later.
Why does all of this matter for you?
It’s a reminder that you can and should come to everything with a beginner’s mind; choose new ways of doing things.
Stop identifying as an expert.
If you’re great at what you do, continue doing it the same way. It makes sense. If you want to progress, be willing to make mistakes.
In his recent book, Show Your Work, author Austin Kleon writes about the amateur — or beginner.
“We’re all terrified of being revealed as amateurs. But today, it is the amateur who often has an advantage over the professional. The amateur can take risks that a professional can’t. The amateur has nothing to lose.”
Coming to your craft with an open mind and willingness to explore, and possibly make mistakes, is where innovation happens.
That’s when you get beginner’s luck — those things you didn’t see before because your experience clouded your view.
For a practical starting point, assess your life.
What areas need a reset? Look at your routine. What can you become curious about?
It doesn’t have to be anything grand. You can become curious about whatever it is you are doing right now.
Your mind thinks like an expert in your life, and it will remind you of this frequently. It has preconceived ideas of how the rest of your day and activities will go.
These ideas can lead to:
- Procrastination — “I don’t want to write that paper today. It’s going to be difficult.”
- Poor communication — “I already know all of this. I don’t need to listen.”
- Missed opportunities — “I know exactly how to do this. I don’t need a refresh.”
To combat this and look at each day new, drop expectations of what’s to come, and stay open to all possibilities.
Bring your beginner’s mind into everyday tasks.
Around the time I learned about the beginner’s mind, I was not looking at each workout as a beginner. Using my past performance, I planned my new routine accordingly. I didn’t plan based on where I was, but where I thought I should be.
I ended up messing up my wrists while benching. I pushed too hard. It’s been a great lesson on the importance of having a beginner’s mind.
If it’s your first time lifting, you will be curious about where you should start. You are open to different techniques. It hit me. If I came to my workouts with an open mind, I would never compete against myself. I would be listening to my body. Like I did as a beginner.
My wrists would probably be okay if I hadn’t pushed myself to the level I expected.
Ask yourself where you’re at each time you do something. Find a new answer. Don’t let the past answer for you.
Bring your beginner’s mind into your professional life.
Many of us become accustomed to our jobs quickly. Even when there are a variety of tasks, we can attain proficiency in all of them. What you had to pay close attention to eventually became habitual.
I was listening to my manager discuss computer basics. I thought it unlikely there was any information for me to learn — but I remained open. He mentioned if you hit ctrl-shift-v, it would format your paste to match the document.
Small changes may seem insignificant. They are not. I now use ctrl-shift-v every day, and it saves a lot of time.
Curiosity allowed me to get rid of the idea that there was nothing new. There’s something great about acknowledging you don’t know everything. It opens you up to learn.
Let go of expectations. You’ll feel more clarity about what is happening. Approach things in a new way every time. You’ll find creative solutions. Listen to people you think know less than you do. You’ll learn something.
Be open to change. Stay curious.
