Do you remember when you first moved away from your childhood home? Did you feel excited, fearful, apprehensive, eager? Maybe a little of each?
For me, it’s the first time I realized how inexperienced I was, and I was excited about that.
When I moved into my first apartment. I had a futon, a dresser, and little else. I’m not certain, but I suspect my loved ones took slight pity on me, living in this objectively meager situation. Perhaps some did.
All the same, I was on top of the world. I was just getting started, baby! All me! Sure, I was leaving behind the only life I had known to that point—my biggest safety net. Yet at the same time, my enthusiasm for the future pulled me forward.
I didn’t know this at the time, but I was eagerly embracing what Zen Buddhists call “Shoshin,” or “beginner’s mind.” Shoshin is a concept that urges us to remain hopeful and open-minded as we embark upon new experiences. Acknowledge how little you know, remain willing to learn, and growth will always follow.
Looking back at it now, I appreciate how I naturally embraced being a beginner. I can also identify situations in my past where I thought I knew all I needed to know, resisting my beginner’s mind. Those situations eventually came to a dramatic turning point, and I was forced to pivot anyway.
“If you do not bend, life will bend you.” ~Mark Nepo
This week’s Soul Guidance Reading reminds us that we are powerful creators. To accelerate our progress, we’re guided to step away from beliefs or situations that we have outgrown, leaving ample space for us to rise to our next level of awareness.
Stay humble, Dreamers.
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