We’re all chasing goals. You, me, everyone… But what sets apart the successful from the not-so-successful? A lot of things, I would assume, but one stands out, to me, more than all of the others: the beginner’s mindset.
We’ve coached hundreds of individuals to their goals, on some level or another, but the ones that seem to do the best are always curious, willing to do the simple things, and show up consistently, because they are excited about the process of learning. They all show attributes of the beginner’s mindset.
So what is the beginner’s mindset?
- Approaching a goal with no ego at all
- Ditching your assumptions and preconceptions about what you believe you know
- Being open to breaking your current routines and habits, while adopting new ones
- A genuine curiosity and openness to new ideas/tasks
Approaching a goal with no ego at all
Sometimes it’s hard to accept that you need help. You reach out for it, but then you resist. To truly accept and grow from the help you seek, you have to be vulnerable- you have to check your ego at the door. Your ego tells you that you’re more advanced than the information being provided.
I don’t need the basics, you think, I’m further along than this.
But we all need the basics. The most advanced people simply do the basics really well. Drop the ego and be open to the idea that the simplest of things can take you far.
Ditching your assumptions and preconceptions about what you believe you know
Like ego, don’t overestimate how much you know about a subject. A beginner recognizes that they don’t know very much, but eventually the ego takes over and allows us to believe we are more advanced than we are…
If I were to ask you, “On a scale of 1-10, how knowledgeable are you about nutrition?”, your answer will tell me a lot about whether or not you have a beginner’s mindset. Let’s just put it this way- I don’t personally know a 9 or a 10. To me, Dr. John Berardi would be a 10, but I’m willing to bet that he wouldn’t even rank himself that high. Saying that you’re a 9 or 10 is like saying that you know everything, or almost everything there is to know about nutrition. Do you?
- Without looking it up, name 5 polyunsaturated fat sources and 5 monounsaturated fat sources
- How many calories are in one gram each of protein, fat, and carbs?
- What are macronutrients?
Those are pretty “basic” questions if you’ve ever studied any nutrition. If you answered those questions, correctly, without hesitation, there’s a good chance you might be a seven or an eight, but I’d still rather see you rank yourself on the lower end. It says you’re open to learning new ideas.
Sometimes when we coach people, they feel the need to tell us, “I know,” or what they’ve done in the past (usually more advanced/heavier/better/faster), and don’t allow themselves to be totally open to learning and applying new ideas.
Have a beginner’s mindset.
Be open to learning new ideas.
Being open to breaking your current routines and habits, while adopting new ones
Change is hard. I mean really, people lose their minds over the changes that Facebook makes during updates! But sticking to your current habits and routines won’t allow you to make real, positive change. You’ve been doing those things…
How’s that working out for you?
We have to be willing to break routines and create new ones. The beginner’s mindset embraces change, recognizing that if I continue to do what I’ve always done, I’ll continue have what I’ve always had. We become attached to what we’ve always had. Our ego allows fear of change to creep in.
How’s that working out for you?
We could continuously ask that question, and we don’t mean to sound redundant, but really!
Beginner’s Mindset: A genuine curiosity and openness to new ideas/tasks
If you allow fear of change and attachments to your old ways to get in the way, you won’t be able to tap into the beginner’s mindset of genuine curiosity. Curiosity allows us to ditch our old ways, try new things, and be open to learning. When you’re curious, you will find lots of things excite you. But as soon as you begin to think you know, your curiosity dies, and you become blind to all of the exciting things right in front of you.
Putting the Beginner’s Mindset into ACTION
It all comes back to ego! Check your ego at the door, embrace change, and get excitedly curious about alternative ways of doing things.
That is, unless you are EXACTLY where you want to be, having achieved everything you’ve ever wanted in life. If so, congrats!
Otherwise, recognize the times when you may be letting ego keep you from growing and obtaining goals. Pay attention to your body language, gut feelings, your words, and actions overall.
I know→ I’m curious
I do it this way→ How else could this be done?
