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“In the beginner’s
mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind, there are
few.”
~ Shunryu Suzuki
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I
already do that…
Nothing will keep you stuck like being in Expert Mode.
- I already know that.
- We already tried that.
- I already do that.
Expert Mode
is an obstacle you put in your own way, barring the door to what is
possible and keeping you stuck.
We often don’t realize we are in Expert Mode. Therefore, the first step
in opening up to Beginner's
Mind will be to notice how often your mind is
closed.
(And
if you’ve read this far, and thought, “This isn’t for me…” then this is
especially for you!)
Try
this…
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1)
Noticing:
When
you are in conversation with your spouse or with someone online, or
when you’re listening to the news or reading an article (like this
one), notice
your thoughts.
Notice if those thoughts sound like any of the following…
- I already know that / do that.
- I already know what you’re
going to say.
- Here’s how I’ve done that.
- I tell that to my (kids /
students / team) all the time!
- We already tried that (and it
didn’t work).
- That's not how I do it / I do
that better.
2)
Adopt Beginner’s Mind:
Once
you’ve noticed those Expert Mode phrases…
- Take
a deep breath in. On the out-breath, smile.
That mindful breath + the act of smiling signals your brain to move
from shut-down to open. If you’ve never tried this, try it right now
and see if anything changes in your openness to consider something new.
(And
note that if you insist this won’t work without trying it, that is
another indicator of Expert Mode…)
- Ask
yourself,
“What can I learn from this moment? From this person? From this
conversation? What might I learn about this other person? What might I
learn about myself?” Give that person your full attention,
right in that moment, with the sincere intention to learn something
from them. Be curious, wondering openly, “What might I learn?”
- If
the thing you think you already do is a "doing" thing, try the other
person’s way of doing it. Play with that different way. How does it
feel? In what ways is it different? Same?
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Our
thoughts create our reality. The more you become aware of the thought
patterns you create, the more you will begin stepping beyond “stuck,”
and into possibility. That is why moving towards Beginner’s Mind is
part of the practice of Catalytic Listening – one of the three core
practices of Catalytic
Thinking.
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Want
to meet other people who are also learning how to apply Catalytic
Thinking in their lives? Join us at the Catalytic Thinking in Action
community on Facebook - a welcoming place where you
can ask questions and learn from people like you who are experimenting
with these practices. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Keeping Our
Programs Freely Available
Most of the
programs at Creating the Future are free or low cost, with liberal
tuition assistance when they aren’t.
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If you find our
programs of benefit, we hope you will consider
contributing, to help
keep these programs available to as many
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Creating
the
Future
is a
collection of
people around
the world,
supporting
each other in
a grand
experiment.
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The
experiment:
To
determine how
much better
the world
could be if
the questions
we ask in our
day to day
lives are
bringing out
the best in
each other.
If
everyone,
everywhere, is
bringing out
the best in
every person
they encounter
– and if the
systems that
guide our
behaviors are
built to bring
out the best
in all of us -
how much
closer will we
all be to a
healthy,
humane world
that works for
all of us?
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SUBSCRIBE
to
get this e-Journal
Creating
the Future
3849
E
Broadway Blvd #238
Tucson,
Arizona 85716 USA
Creating the
Future is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization in the U.S.A
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