About a week ago, I joined a workshop session where I encountered a part that really really struck me, one single sentence that still lingers in my mind about how we should embrace the beginner’s mind. Exactly on that time, I was in the middle of a change, stepping into a field I had never truly understood before. What I did know was that we should always be lifelong learners, that life is a continuous journey of learning. From a baby learning to crawl, to a teenager trying to find their place in the world, and even when we begin to contemplate our purpose.

Looking back, there were several times I was in a position where I was pushed to learn new skills. Graduated as a civil engineer with a geotechnical engineering focus, I start my career as an engineer where I work with geotechnical works. Only a few months later, I was assigned to another project where I was involved in project management tasks like scheduling and quantity surveying. Not long after, I was assigned to work with BIM, something completely new to me at the time. I learned from scratch, and that was when I discovered my passion for digital construction. I knew this was the future of the construction industry. I even pursued a master’s degree in Digital Engineering Management. After completing my studies in 2022, I continued my career in that field and had found my comfort zone. Then suddenly, I was asked to change fields once again. Like most of sudden changes, the transition brought discomfort, but it also reminded me that we must embrace it.

Back to the concept of the beginner’s mind, although I have always believed in continuous learning, I had never heard of this beginner’s mind concept before. But when I heard it in the workshop that day, I knew it was the missing piece to complement my belief in lifelong learning. The concept, introduced by Zen master Shunryu Suzuki. He said, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

I think this approach helps us stay humble. It reminds us that it’s okay not to have everything figured out. It encourages us to approach something new with fresh eyes, free from the weight of prior assumptions. It reminds me of how children, like my niece and nephew, are naturally good at this. They get excited about so many things, ask endless questions, and got curious in the simplest moments. That boundless curiosity, constantly asking “why” and “how”, fuels a willingness to learn. With this approach, the joy of learning something new helps us trust the process without heavy expectations and without fear of the result.

Just few months ago, I started painting again with my favorite childhood medium, just as I once did, with pure joy, free from rules, fear of mistakes, or pressure to make something “good.” I just realized now that this was the essence of the beginner’s mind. One thing I will keep in mind is that we should always see ourselves as a work in progress, a continuous learner, a lifelong student of life. So, always approach with beginner’s mind.