We all have our very own inner dragon, a.k.a. our mind. If cultivated properly, your mind becomes your best ally in the journey of your life.  If left untended, it sprouts poisonous weeds within you that become your arch nemesis. 

How can you cultivate your inner dragon such that it serves you faithfully and helps unleash your infinite potential?

A necessary state of mind for unleashing your potential is openness, for a mind that is closed is like stagnant water in a pond – stale and filled with scum. An open mind, on the other hand, is a fertile ground full of possibilities.

There is a concept in Zen Buddhism as practiced in Japan known as “Shoshin” (初心), which translates to “Beginner’s Mind.”

The beginner’s mind is pristine, without biases, prejudices and preconceptions. It is the original mind. When you are in a state of “shoshin” you exhibit a state of enthusiasm and curiosity, much like the curiosity of a child. Your mind is like that of a sponge – always ready to soak in new information.

The beginner’s mind is intrinsically motivated to learn regardless of one’s past experience, as it is open and receptive to everything, yet attached to nothing.

The state of a beginner’s mind is a compassionate mind devoid of discrimination, and so it is boundless.

In the acquisition of new knowledge

The beginner’s mind is most useful when you want to acquire new knowledge regardless of your age and past experience.  Whether you are a young student in a formal educational setting or a mid-career professional pursuing a new path to change your career, adopting the beginner’s mind will put you in a state of curiosity. When you are curious, you are operating from your original mind devoid of anxiety and fear. A mind that is interrupted by thoughts of doubts instills within you the emotions of fear and anxiety, which considerably slows down your learning process. A curious mind is an exploring mind that never doubts. Thus, by shifting into the state of shoshin, your original mind takes over and accelerates your learning process. 

When practicing a skill or activity to acquire proficiency

Practicing something that involves constant repetition of the same activity is likely to cause you to lose interest.  In adopting the beginner’s mind, you approach the same activity every time with new eyes and begin to notice aspects of the activity and your relationship with it that you did not notice earlier. The activity now becomes interesting since you are constantly learning something about yourself in the perfection of your pursuit.

When engaging in creative work

Creative activities require an open mind without prejudices and preconceptions. It requires your mind to be extremely receptive and tuned to the highest vibrational frequency of the universe. In adopting the beginner’s mind, you operate at the level of your highest self and allow your mind to be a fertile ground for the seeds of creativity to blossom.

In your daily relationships with people

The state of shoshin can also be successfully used in your daily relationships with people at your workplace and especially with your family members and loved ones.  When you leave behind the impressions formed in your mind due to previous encounters with people and approach each encounter with a sense of curiosity and wonder, you endear yourself to the people whom you come in contact with. This ensures that your relationships are in a state of constant renewal and do not stagnate over time.  

In renewing and rejuvenating yourself

The beginner’s mind is the infinite universal mind. It is primordial, ageless, compassionate and boundless.  When you are operating from the state of shoshin, you are dipping into the reservoir of the infinite universal mind and you experience mental freshness like never before.

Let go of self-centered thoughts about your achievements.

When you gain experience in your field and become an expert, your mind becomes more closed to new information. When this happens you tend to selectively block out all information that disagrees with your current worldview from your position as an expert, and instead seek out information that validates your expert view point. By blocking out new information, you stop learning and start stagnating.  By asking yourself the question “How do I know that the way I originally learned something is the best way?” you come to the realization that your way is just one way amongst many ways.  

Pause, Step back and Observe

The state of shoshin does not come to the person who is perpetually in a state of “busyness.” You have to develop the ability to pause, step back, and observe your world.  The act of observation should be totally in the now without the observer’s past conditioning and prejudices. In the very act of observing in the now, you enter the state of shoshin.

Listen mindfully and do not talk

Practice the habit of listening to others mindfully without any distractions, or thinking about what your response should be to the other person, or interrupting. When you learn to listen with complete and total attention with the intention of being on the same page as the other person, you embrace the beginner’s mind.

Be humble enough to assume you don’t know anything

Always be in a state of awe and wonder

When you are in a state of awe and wonder at every aspect of your life, your mind transforms into a beginner’s mind – inquisitive, intrinsically motivated and boundless. Your mind becomes a fertile ground full of possibilities and helps unlock your infinite potential.