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ReNew Business

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Create a Work Culture like a Piece of Art

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ReNew Business

  • Home
  • Approach
  • Talks & Workshops
  • Books
    • Artful Entrepreneurship
    • Expedition and Encounters
    • Un Sacco di Storie
    • The Poetry of Leadership
    • Freevolution
    • The Whisper
    • Tea of Tibet
  • Blog
  • Messy Art Artworks
  • About
    • Founder's Bio
    • Press
  • Contact

Differentiating Between Innocence and Beginner Mind

July 23, 2024 Fateme Banishoeib

Our minds are deeply influenced by past experiences, cultural conditioning, and cognitive biases. 

This means that even when we consciously strive for a beginner's mind, our neural pathways, may still reflect past learnings and biases, making it difficult to fully embody a beginner's openness.

Reclaim your Innocence instead honouring the wisdom of the journey. 

The concept of a beginner's mind, originating from the Japanese term "shoshin" (初心), invites us to approach experiences with openness and eagerness, free from preconceptions. It encourages us to approach life with a fresh perspective, as if encountering everything for the first time. It advocates for curiosity, openness, and a willingness to explore the unknown, regardless of one’s level of expertise.

However, psychological and philosophical perspectives suggest that maintaining a pure beginner's mind is exceedingly difficult.

Our minds are shaped by past experiences and cognitive biases, which influence how we perceive and interact with the world. This conditioning makes it challenging to approach situations with a completely fresh perspective. Moreover, studies on neuroplasticity indicate that our brains are continually shaped by our experiences, forming neural pathways that affect our perceptions and responses. This ongoing adaptation can hinder the attainment of a true beginner's mindset. From a philosophical standpoint, the depth of our knowledge and expertise influences how we engage with new experiences. Deep understanding can lead to insights but also predisposes us to certain expectations and biases.

"Innocence," rooted in Latin as "innocentia" (meaning "not harming" or "not guilty"), traditionally emphasizes moral purity and freedom from wrongdoing. Reclaiming innocence isn’t about erasing our past or avoiding experiences. Instead, it’s about honouring the wisdom of the journey.

Reclaiming innocence is not about returning to a state of naivety or ignorance but about rediscovering the joy of exploration and the beauty of uncertainty. It involves cultivating an artful mindset. 

While achieving a true beginner's mind may involve temporarily suspending or transcending existing knowledge and biases, reclaiming innocence integrates past experiences and wisdom into a renewed perspective. This integration allows for evolution (our own and others) while maintaining a sense of openness and curiosity.

Both concepts, beginner’s mind and reclaiming innocence, encourage openness and curiosity, innocence however, embraces the complexities of human experience and evolution, offering a pathway to reconnect with what has been neglected or carved out. 

Embark on this journey with courage and curiosity. Embrace your journey with innocence and rediscover the wonder that lies within and beyond.

Have a look at our programs and resources to help you reclaim your innocence by practicing an artful mindset. If you have any question or would like to inquire for consultancy, workshops or talks get in contact with us. 

If you’re interested in learning more about my services and would like to discuss any consultancy, workshops, talks, please reach out.

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In Leadership Tags innocence, reclaiminginnocence, beginnermind, beginnersmind, openness, curiosity, beginagain, expeditionandencounters
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