Do you remember when you were a young child? Curious and innocent, playful and full of fantasies, asking lots of questions without the fear of being wrong?
Our young childhood is the period in our life when we learn the most and develop the fastest. Some would say that it’s normal, it’s nature. What if we look at it from another perspective? What if at that point in our lives we were not afraid of failure, we were not afraid of asking the wrong questions, we were not afraid to show that we don’t know and we were not afraid to be curious and to want to know more?
While we are growing, we learn that if we don’t know something is a weakness we can’t afford to have in this fast moving world. So we study hard and we become experts. Experts in all aspects of our lives – in our families, in our professions, we strive to be best leaders, best partners, best parents, best friends. Nothing wrong with that. But what if in our striving we forget to be open to unknown, we forget to accept that nothing is the same as it was a year ago, a month ago, even a week ago? The world around us and ourselves are constantly changing. So, what if what we thought we know, what we thought we are experts in, what we thought is already learnt and mastered is actually stopping us from seeing what the world has to show us in this present moment?
Seeing the world through a child eyes is like seeing the world always new, being always amazed by the wonders it has to show us, being curious to find out more, to experience more. Seeing the world through a child eyes gives us the opportunity to live our lives not out of fear of failure or disappointment, but out of the excitement of the new discoveries, the openness of letting in everything that is possible. And a child sees everything possible. We have the chance to see the world from more perspectives, creatively and, in the same time, very realistic – we see the world the way it is right here right now, without limitations and not how we think or know it is or has always been.
Imagine what this can bring to you as a leader, colleague, father, parent, friend, human being! Imagine, with all the expertise you have, how it would be to build on that and to be as curious as a child when you wake up and approach a new day! Because indeed, it is a new day, and you are a new person, and the others are new persons as well as we keep on changing constantly.
In mindfulness practice, we call this approaching life with beginner’s eyes. It helps us seeing everything clearer, in the present moment, non-judgementally. As every moment is a new moment, different from the previous one. This opens the gates of creativity, discovery, focus, better communication and relationships. This opens the possibility of living our life fully, moment by moment, without preconceptions or limitations, without fears and setbacks, but with genuine curiosity and excitement for what we will discover.
No matter if you are a leader, a CEO, a doctor, a teacher, a parent, a partner, a friend, I encourage you to be a child from time to time. To look at the world and at those around you with beginner’s eyes. See what you discover. See what is there and you didn’t even know. And even more I encourage you to look at yourself with beginner’s mind and see who you really are today. I’m sure you will be amazed!
