“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
-Meister Eckhart
Each day is a new day with new opportunities. We have all heard this at one time or another. But with this type of mindset and outlook on life we are also something else: a beginner. German theologian, philosopher and mystic Meister Eckhart spoke of this over 700 years ago encouraging us to be willing to being a beginner every single morning. In doing so I believe we are able to become more open minded in all that we experience each and everyday.
As a beginner with anything we are just starting to learn to do something. Throughout our entire lives we have had moments where we have been beginners in something. The first time we learned to walk, ride a bike, play a sport, go to school. The list goes on and on. We all had to start somewhere: at the beginning. We went through periods of struggle and success. We had to keep practicing to get better and over time we moved from that beginner phase to a level where the newness was now gone with the experience but the learning hadn’t stopped. It never truly does.
When we really think about it no matter how old we get we all have one thing in common: we are beginners each and every day without us even realizing it. Each day is new for all of us. No one has experienced it yet. We are all going through the day and the first time. Yes the specific experiences that happen to us are different but we enter the day with a clean slate with no road map of what to expect. Our decisions are ours and ours alone. Like the examples I gave earlier, we struggle and we succeed through the daily happenings that occur.
This is actually one decision that we don’t have to give much thought when trying to make it because it is actually made for us. So when you start each new day, realize that you are in fact a beginner; a beginner in experiencing this day, this moment in time. Embrace it by keeping your heart and your mind open. See things through the lens of a beginner and I believe, in fact I know, it will be to your benefit in living a fruitful and fulfilling life.
What does this quote mean to you and how can you apply today’s message towards developing your responsible decision making skills?
Becoming The Change 