beginner's mind and experience

When you first begin a project or a new field of study an infinite amount of possibilities are open to you. You don't know what you don't know. And this kind of ignorance can produce a unique kind of bravery, not yet indoctrinated to rules of the trade. You're hacking your way through the jungle looking for Solomon's Temple. You have all of the possibilities laid out in front of you, but none of the experience and maybe even less of the resources.

Conversely when you've been doing something for a long time, years/decades, you have an insane amount of experience and resources, both physical and mental. You've also learned to follow some rules and guidelines, as well as made some of your own. This framework you built for yourself, while helpful, can sometimes pigeonhole you into certain way of doing things. This can be an illusion; that this way, my way, is the only way.

We tend to repeat what has worked before. But the result of this can be avoiding other possibilities and self-limiting our field of view.

The trick, then, is to keep a beginner's mind as much as possible. We can rely on our experience and resources, but use them in more creative ways.

At the same time, when we are just beginning something, this prompt is useful:

"How would someone with a lot of experience in (music/ filmmaking/ writing / entrepreneurship / weightlifting/ fashion/ painting/ sailing/ cooking/ etc.) go about doing this? This prompt is also useful if you're a coach, teacher, or mentor.