A Beginner Mindset

“every day is the first day…each new moment, the first moment.” — Andy Puddicombe

Today during my daily ten minute meditation (using Headspace), Andy Puddicombe talked about approaching each new session with a “beginner mindset”.

He said many people go into a session expecting it to be a certain way. Forcing a certain outcome which limits the potential of their practice. Or automatically think “I’m going to suck at this today”.

He then encourages his listener to go into their practice with a beginner mindset and this concept resonated with me beyond the confines of meditation. We can use this approach for most situations in life. View each day like a beginner and see what happens.

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Below is what I took away:

The Past is the Past

When you’re faced with a new situation/decision (or begin your meditation or yoga practice) move forward leaving the past in the past. Negative thoughts or feelings from yesterday are no longer relevant to today and should be let go and left where they belong.

There’s no need to influence how today will go because of yesterday. We can choose what thoughts and feelings to hold onto and what to let go of.

Each new day is a chance to be reborn into who you want to be. How empowering! Yesterday, you may have had negative thoughts about your capabilities but doesn’t mean you have to today. Detach from your thoughts and feelings enough to decide which are worthy of staying around.

Beginners see a new task as exciting, doable, and see tons of possibilities.

Just because yesterday you felt you weren’t good enough to write/ speak/ build/ create/ etc doesn’t mean today you can’t keep going. Teach your mind to align with who you want to become.

Download my affirmation freebie here to jumpstart positive thought habits today.

Set Your Intentions

Wake up each morning and start your day with a clear picture of what your day will look like. Your intention. In another post, I wrote about the importance of a morning routine and making sure you have 5 clear goals to accomplish within the next 1–6 months.

Envision them crystal clear each morning. Our minds wander. We have many things and people grasping for our attention. Garner discipline and clarity by visualizing these 5 goals each morning and creating a clear space for them within your mind and heart.

Also, start each day knowing what three things are most important to get done today. Anything beyond those three are ok to do another day. Many times I’ve overloaded myself with expectations of getting 10 things done only to get none of them done. By setting three “must dos” and letting myself off the hook beyond those tasks I’ve set myself up for success.

My creative brain needs balance and a way to have some discipline. Three is big enough to feel accomplished and little enough to leave you some energy and sanity.

Have a Safe Internal Space

What I’ve loved about meditating every day for ten minutes is experiencing what it feels like to be at complete peace. No thinking. Guess what? I didn’t implode on myself when I stopped thinking. I used to be so attached to the noise in my head it scared me when there was silence. It felt like something was wrong. Part of it had to do with my need to avoid myself. But once beyond that obstacle I realized how important silence can be.

You get a chance to remember how much isn’t important. What is important. To feel connected to yourself and rooted once again to your spirit. You release the blocks to your creativity and allow love and goodness to infiltrate your being once more.

This is the place I go to when I need to regroup mentally. Our minds can be so jumbled and pulled every which way it’s hard to have a foundation of calm. Through meditation and yoga nidra I’ve had a couple of instances where the boundary of my body was no longer in my awareness. I felt pure light, joy, and limitless.

Now, when I find myself overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and pressures I think of this place. I imagine a beam of warm sun entering my body from the top of my head going all the way down to my toes. As the sun goes down, filling my whole body, I imagine it dissolving any and all tension.

This has helped me to reset and re-focus.

If you’re curious about meditation check out this great interview.

Conclusion

Life is short. Leave your past where it belongs and set a clear intention for each day. Approach each day with a beginner mindset and make sure to create a safe internal place to go to when things feel overwhelming.

Take Action

Approach each day with a beginner mindset: excited, open to possibilities, and with a plan. Yesterday doesn’t matter and neither do expectations. Allow the day to be what it is as you implement these amazing habits.

Try daily 10 minute meditations using the Headspace app for two weeks and see how you feel.

Read one or two affirmations which strongly resonate with you after you visualize your 5 goals each morning.

Download my affirmation freebie here!