I’ve just completed writing a book. The theme is partnering with you for success. Success, that is, in navigating the job market to receive the offers that you seek.
Writing a book has been in the back of my mind for years, prompted by people saying to me, “Where’s the book? You should write a book!“ But yet, it was not the first thing I thought of when I wanted to be creative, or spend a lot of time on a project. It just baffled me when people would ask that question. My thought was, there are a stupendous number of books being written, what on earth could I say that would be different?
That went on for about 20 years.
Then one day I changed my tune. I changed my way of thinking and arrived at a point of view that was open to the possibility. I basically said, ‘what the heck?!”
There is a term for this new direction of thought. Beginner’s Mind. 
Think about the first time you dived into something you had an inkling to try. You might have thought, ok, I’m just going to do it. I’m going to figure it out, give it a go, and just do it. The beginner has no idea of the pitfalls, the time it takes, the difficulties, the pull that says, “Stop, there are too many obstacles. Don’t even try.”
When we are beginners, we just have a little fear. That’s because we don’t see the big picture, we have no experience with all the things that can go wrong. The tunnel is dark, we don’t know what lays ahead.
But once that big toe gets dipped into the pond, there is the capacity to enjoy the feel, the juiciness of the water. It’s the point where the fear isn’t such a big thing.
That is all it takes to get started, when you have Beginner’s Mind. Getting over a little fear. There is a freshness, -a golly gee whiz, look what I’m doing- feeling that emerges. Call it naïve, call it simplicity, but when I started writing that book, I didn’t have a clue what the pitfalls might be.
Staying present to the moment, the writing, the doing of it, helped to keep tension low and restlessness at bay.
Think about Beginner’s Mind the next time your own mental attitude balks and tries to find a reason not to embark on something creative or necessary.
Beginner’s Mind: with fresh eyes and an open attitude you can begin anything.
