Beginner's Mind

Beginner's Mind

Beginner's Mind. I first learned about this concept when I was in school and it has stuck with me throughout the years because of the value that it brings in my training and especially in life. Beginner's Mind or Shoshin comes from Zen Buddhism and refers to one having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when learning a subject, even when having had experience and studying at an advanced level. Simply put, it means learning just as a beginner would when the mind is open and not closed off thinking that things are already done a certain way.

This concept while extremely valuable can be so much easier said then done. It is hard to approach something we may have been doing for so long with the mind of a beginner. We may finally feel like we have a sense of mastery or a semblance of competence and then asking the mind to look at something like cycling, running, or swimming as if it was the first day. Sounds scary to me and to be honest it can be. But in the end it is worth it.

Cycling is my weakest out of the three sports and I am very well aware that I have work to do. Swimming is my favorite and I learned this past season that my stoke needs tons of work. Running is the sport that is most freeing to me and I learned that my stride and running posture need so much help. So it would seem that I have a lot of work ahead of me, and it is my decision on how I approach the learning a head of me. Do I dig in and let me ego rule the roost or do I let go of all preconceptions and listen to my coach and others who are trying to help with a Beginner's Mind?

The other day when I was at bike clinic the coach in charge of the clinic was talking about cadence and suggesting drills and images to think about making the most out each pedal stroke. At that point, it would have been so easy to tune her out. We all know that we need a nice cadence and that we can derive more power from focusing on all parts of the pedal stroke. Thank you to whoever came up with the idea of being able to clip into the pedals! In that moment, I made a choice to listen to what she was suggesting and I learned something new that has helped improve my cycling. Had I not listened I might have missed the image that has made a difference and that will hopefully help me next racing session.

I'm choosing to approach my training with a Beginner's Mind and I hope that you will join me. It is the road less traveled (pun intended) and I know it will make all the difference. (Hint: This line is a play on a great poem a good friend once shared with me.)