How to Keep the Beginner’s Mind

I am at the National Speaker’s Association conference in Dallas, Texas. Yesterday I had a chance to meet the legendary Brian Tracy, someone whose work I have admired for a long time. Today, in one of the sessions, I met Brendon Burchard. Both of these gentlemen, as well as Shep Hyken (who I met on a plane a few months ago), were sitting in the same workshop that I chose to attend. My friend, Mark Hunter, went to the workshop two rooms down from the workshop that I attended.

What’s interesting about this?

All of these gentlemen are at the top of their game. They know enough to have the careers that they have, and yet, here they are sitting in workshops learning even more. You might wonder why.

The very best people at any game keep the beginner’s mind.

They Believe There Is More to Learn

The most successful people in any endeavor believe that there is more to learn. They never stop learning.

The masters have conquered the fundamentals, and then they work to develop new distinctions that allow them to produce even greater results. New ideas allow them to continue to make these distinctions. New ideas provide them with a new way of looking at what they do and how they do it, and to make adjustments that allow them to become even more effective.

They keep the beginner’s mind, continuously learning more.

They Believe They Need to Know What’s New

The masters never rest on their laurels. They know that as things change, there are new ideas and new discoveries. There are new methods for producing results, and there are new tools and technologies.

One of the reasons that successful people can sustain their performance over long periods of time is that continually work to discover what’s new and how they might use it.

They look at new ideas as a beginner, never judging it, never being critical. Instead, they are open to what’s new.

They Believe That They Can Improve

For my money, this is the root of the mindset of successful people. The most successful people may be pleased with their performance, but they are never satisfied. They believe that there is more that that can learn. They believe that there is more that they can do.

And, they believe that they can improve their performance. They believe they are responsible for improving their performance. The proof that this what they believe is that you see them continually improving their game, building even greater success on their earlier successes.

They Believe They Can Learn from Others

The best teachers are the best students.

Many of the people attending this conference could be teaching a workshop of their own (and many have). They are here because they believe that they can—and will—learn from others. They want to hear other people’s ideas and opinions. They are open to taking in new information, even when it conflicts with what they believe they already know. And more importantly, even when it conflicts with what has already made them successful.

They are masters because they are willing to learn from others.

Questions

Do you have the beginner’s mind?

What should you be learning?

What new ideas are you studying and applying to your work?

In what areas should you still be improving?

From who you could you be learning?