In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few. —Shunryu Suzuki
Recently, my life has been imbued with a little more breathing room as my son has moved into toddlerhood. As a result, I’ve been able to give myself permission to return to meditating with a group on a regular basis.
The other night, our meditation leader spoke about how the mind’s perceptions of uncertainty can become the impetus for fear, propelling us out of the present moment with all kinds of scary scenarios.
Living my life in the wake of uncertainty…
A little over a year ago, I threw caution to the wind and quit a job I disliked for the sake of establishing a professional practice aligned with my passion for mindfulness. I’ve accomplished a lot of wonderful things in this past year and I feel more on purpose than at any other time in my life.
But this decision to follow my passion has also invited a great deal of financial insecurity into my world. I no longer live with a paycheck I can depend on. As a result of this uncertainty, over the last few weeks I have watched my mind take hold of my circumstances and beat me over the head with every conceivable bit of fear-based storytelling that it could possibly muster.
Although I can’t say I’ve not fallen down the rabbit hole a few times and succumb to the fear, more often than not, I find myself stepping back and observing the narrative in the mind rather than reacting to it.
Sometimes I find it is helpful to label the thoughts simply as “fear” as they emerge, which not only keeps me grounded in the present, but also seems to help dissolve them from my mindscape.
The question I find relevant to ask myself is, what is the most skillful use of my energy in this moment? I have found when I stay in the present and ask myself that question, an answer generally arises that is much more grounded in truth than fear.
There is a flip side to the fear of uncertainty…
Thankfully, uncertainty invites not only fear but also possibility into our lives. When we reside in the present moment, there are infinitely more options available to us than the limited projections of the mind.
Residing in the space of not knowing and remaining open to possibility is often referred to in mindfulness circles as taking on the perspective of a ‘beginner’s mind.’ In doing so, we clear the mind of what we supposedly “know” for the sake of what we don’t. This frees us up to explore and experiment with situations, rather than just resigning ourselves to the certainty that life must roll out in a particular way.
We don’t have to fight a war between past, present and future…
The greater the perceived insecurity of the present moment, the more fear the mind will muster to tug on awareness. Thankfully, we don’t have to act upon its dire predictions. We can just watch it—knowing it is a figment of the imagination.
Residing in the present, remaining open to the experience we are having, and making choices based on the understanding we have in our moment-to-moment experience not only minimizes stress, but also anchors our decisions in fact-based information, not fear.
Our lives do not operate in the vacuum of the theater of the mind. They play out in participation with a much larger dynamic—the dynamic of life. It is here, right now, that the greatest number of possibilities are available to us.
