Practice Trust

Beginner's Mind

“Far too often, we don't start because we can't get our minds around the entire thing. We don't take the first step because we can't figure out the seventeenth step. But you don't have to know the seventeenth step. You only have to know the first step. Because the first number is always one. Start with one.”

Rob Bell (How to Be Here: Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living)

The lesson that Rob Bell points out in How to Be Here is one that took me about six decades to learn. You don't have to know where something is going, or what the finished product will be before you begin. Just take the first step, and let the piece/project/spirit guide you. And the second part is: don't quit half-way through just because something isn't working for you or the item/project does not look the way you thought it would. Keep going. Maybe this project/piece wants to be something different from your preconceived notion—maybe something even better. Move things around, try other options or possibilities—but don't just chuck it. I can't tell you how many things landed in the trashcan when I first started out as a quilter. Now, if I get frustrated with a piece, I just put it away for a little while and come back to it with fresh eyes. Writing is the same—any writer will tell you they rewrite a piece fifteen times and even then aren't satisfied that it's exactly right. Edits and edits and edits later they are still finding awkward sentences and typos. Truly, there is no such thing as perfect, and frustrating yourself with trying to wring perfect out of everything you do will only sap your energy and make you mean-spirited. At least, that's what it does for me.

Instead, we would do well to cultivate beginner's mind. Beginner's mind is, in my opinion, another term for courage. It's kind of like swinging out on a trapeze without a net beneath you—scary, but exhilarating. Here is the official definition given by Swami Nithyananda Shangha: “By definition, having a beginner's mind means heaving an attitude of openness, eagerness and freedom from preconception when approaching anything. Beginner's mind is actually the space where the mind doesn't know what to do. It is that delicious state when you are sure of nothing, yet completely fearless, totally available to the moment.” It is, therefore, eager and fierce trust that guidance is always available; indeed, it exists within you. All that is required of us is the courage to take our hands off the rudder and let spirit drive the boat. So, go ahead—start with step one.

                                                           In the Spirit,

                                                              Jane