Pushing Past Comfort: Discovering New Territory Where Growth Occurs

**"Embrace the 'don't-know mind,' baby! It's got no fear, no need to control, and no reason to see the future. Jump off that cliff with absolute trust that your next move will take you where you need to go." ~ Byron Katie, but with a modern twist, amiright?

Hear me out—I'm nearly 60. Been there, done that. Raised a family, been through two divorces, owned four houses, and had a hell of a career. Now, I'm doing one of the craziest things I've ever done—working as a host in a bustling restaurant.

My crew? They're hip and hustling, ranging from twenty-something whippersnappers to early '30s grinders. My brain? It's on the verge of explosin'. But "why," you ask? Well, sure, money's important (for better or worse, I can't exactly bounce back to my old profession after two decades away), but another motivator's gusto and excitement. The thrill of the unknown. Buddhists call it the "not-know mind" or "beginner's mind."

Adults past the age of twenty-five are, well, freakin' experts at stacking the odds in their favor. We prefer what's familiar, what we're comfy with. Face it: It's damn satisfying to know what you're doing, especially when you're the eldest.

Through childhood and young adulthood, avoidin' new experiences ain't optional. Every year in school, you get a new teacher, possibly new classmates, and new material to conquer. It's the price we pay for growin' up, right?

Startin' a new career, movin' into fresh social roles, all require a beginner's mind—the uncomfortable initial period where you don't know squat. Our goal in life is to slash this sense of unpredictability and vulnerability as quick as a cat on a hot tin roof. Resistin' new experiences, even the ones we actively yearn for, makes 'em even more uncomfortable. If we could truly embrace the vulnerability (and excitement!) of bein' a beginner, our lives would be far more intriguin' and a heck of a lot less stressful.

The discomfort we feel is all ego. Ego loves to appear large and in charge. It ain't a fan of the beginner's mind. Ego screams that we're in trouble when we're out of our comfort zone. Its job is to keep us "safe," and if that means a dull, boring existence, well, that's just too bad.

Every night I report to work, with butterflies a-swirlin', I gotta convinced my ego that it's cool. I use self-talk that's just like what I offer my daughter when she takes on a new adventure:

"Just do your best. No one expects you to know everything right off the bat. New things are always scary, but you learn more every night."

Bein' humble is often frowned upon in our society, but it's crucial for a beginner's mind. It's admitttin' what we don't know and honoring what others do. For example, I never knew how tough restaurant work was until now, and I swear, I'll never look at a server the same way again!

Humility ain't the same as humiliation. Recognizin' someone else's ability or expertise don't make me "less than" as a person. In fact, it makes me stronger! If I can be humble, then I can learn, grow, and thrive.

Humility ain't about bringin' yourself down, butabout seein' yourself clearly, warts and all. This job doesn't matter that I have a master's degree (there are plenty of servers with master's degrees, I've learned), or what my previous profession was. What matters is that I'm eager to learn from anyone with the time to teach me.

A beginner's mind is all about bein' willing to learn, and it can (and should) happen at any age. But if you wanna learn something new, you gotta be willin' to suck at what you're already good at. You gotta be willin' to be the novice. You gotta be willin' to get it wrong, to make mistakes—even in public.

The rewards are big, even if it's tough to see 'em when you're full of nerves and fear. Life is an adventure, and adventures call for risktakin'.

"Am I really ready to settle for the same old crap for the rest of my life?" That's what you gotta ask yourself. Isn't it worth a bit of discomfort (even a whole lot) to learn a new skill, meet a new person, or discover a new piece of yourself?

We can tell the ego to take a back seat for a spell, and trust me, no one'll suffer because of it. We can take a deep breath, hold our courage in our hands, and step out into the unknown, hopin' the next move lands somewhere.

Expect the worst? Embarrassment, maybe even failure. I've thought it through, and I've decided I can survive if it happens. I'd rather take a chance and maybe fail than wonder if I coulda succeeded.

Maybe I'm providin' a positive role model for my younger coworkers. Maybe, when they hit fifty, they won't hesitate to step out onto the limb either. Hopefully, I'm showin' my daughter that it's okay to take risks.

We lose touch with our kids when we get too settled in our lives. They don't believe our advice to "just try it" when they never see us takin' a risk. We can't demonstrate courage, or how to deal with mistakes and recover from failure, if we always stay shacked up in our safe zones.

Fact is, change is gonna come, whether we try to block it or not. By embracin' humility and a beginner's mind, we're really takin' nothin' but gainin' everything. We'll either succeed or learn somethin'—or, most likely, both. It's a win/win. Just trust me on this, 'kay?"

by Amaya Pryce (editor's emphasis added)

Amaya Pryce is a spiritual coach and writer livin' in the Pacific Northwest. Her latest book, How to Grow Your Soul, is available on Amazon. For coaching or to follow her blog, please visit www.amayapryce.com.

A "beginner's mind" is a concept stemming from Zen Buddhism called Shoshin. It encourages approaching situations with an open, curious, and non-judgmental perspective, as if experiencing them for the first time. This mindset is vital for personal growth and career development, yielding benefits like:

Personal Growth

Openness and Curiosity: A beginner's mind fosters curiosity and openness to new experiences, enabling individuals to learn and grow without preconceptions.
Reducing Ego and Assumptions: Embracing a beginner's mind requires letting go of the desire to be right or knowledgeable, reducing ego-based conflicts and assumptions, and cultivating a more humble attitude.
Stress Reduction: Approaching challenges with a fresh perspective can help to reduce stress-related feelings of overwhelm.

Career Development

Innovation and Creativity: A beginner's mind encourages innovative problem-solving by allowing individuals to approach problems without preconceived notions that may limit creativity and progress.
Adaptability and Resilience: A beginner's mind aids in adapting to new technologies, processes, and roles, fostering greater resilience in today's fast-paced and ever-changing work environments.
Collaboration and Leadership: It nurtures a collaborative mindset by promoting open communication and a willingness to learn from others, which can improve team dynamics and leadership skills.

Implementing a beginner's mind in everyday life and in your career involves practicing mindfulness meditation and engaging in activities with a fresh perspective, such as learning new skills or approaching familiar tasks with curiosity. Additionally, incorporating mindfulness techniques like non-judging and non-striving, as outlined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, can further support the cultivation of a beginner's mind.

A beginner's mind can foster personal growth, leading to openness and curiosity in new experiences, reducing ego and assumptions, and aiding in stress reduction.

Moreover, a beginner's mind is crucial for career development, as it encourages innovation, adaptability, and collaboration, leading towards better problem-solving, resilience, and team dynamics. To cultivate a beginner's mind, one should practice mindfulness meditation, engage in activities with a fresh perspective, and apply mindfulness techniques like non-judging and non-striving in everyday life and career endeavors.