“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” – Zen Master Suzuki Roshi

In his book “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,” Master Roshi beautifully explains the wisdom in maintaining a beginner’s mind – an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when engaging in any activity, even if one is experienced in the activity.

When I came across this quote from Master Roshi, Daniel Kahneman’s ‘Expertise Bias’ immediately came to mind. Dan identifies the same issue from a highly pragmatic and research driven basis. In his work he identifies the tendency of experts to overestimate their accuracy, and underestimate the difficulty of tasks, coined as Expertise Bias.

Intuitively, we would imagine that greater expertise would lead to superior judgment, but as Kahneman shows in his Nobel prize winning work on decision making, this is not always the case. Experts can tend to rely on quick, instinctive decisions which can lead to decreased accuracy and reliability of these expert judgements.

Applying this to Master Suzuki Roshi’s philosophical take on the beginner’s mind, I begin to understand the importance of cultivating a beginner’s mind, no matter the level of proficiency. For example, I have been strength training for over 15 years, and have some experience coaching people as well. In one of my workouts very recently, I realized that making a simple adjustment to my movement immediately improved muscle activation. Being open to trying a different way of doing something that I’ve done over 500 times was a true moment of appreciation for Beginner’s Mind. At the same time, my experience (certainly not expertise) was useful in identifying that the change is working my targeted muscle more effectively.

Leaving space for beginner’s mind can circumvent expertise bias, overconfidence and other pitfalls that come with increasing experience and proficiency. What does this look like in the real world?

A few practices that I’ve found resonate with the idea:

• Embrace the “not knowing”: Instead of striving to have all the answers, acknowledge that there’s always more to learn. Beginner’s mind thrives on a sense of wonder and curiosity.
• Focus on the present moment: Like mindfulness practices, beginner’s mind encourages us to be fully engaged with what’s happening right now.
• Let Go of Preconceptions: Our minds are often clouded by our past experiences, judgments, and beliefs. Making a conscious effort to let go of these preconceptions allows us to see things as they are, rather than as we think they should be.

Balancing Beginner’s Mind and Expertise

The key, again, lies in integrating rather than opposing these two seemingly contrasting mindsets. Our experience serves as a foundation from which we can launch into new discoveries with a beginner’s mind. Expertise offers a framework, but shouldn’t limit us to pre-defined solutions.

For a master chef, their years of experience allow them to understand ingredients and techniques on a deeper level, yet the greatest chefs are still constantly innovating, experimenting with new flavor combinations and they combine their expertise with the openness of a beginner to create something truly remarkable.

Limitations of the Beginner’s Mind

There’s wisdom in acknowledging that expertise has its place. In critical situations, especially those requiring quick decisions based on past knowledge, relying on honed skills can be essential. A doctor being mindful of expertise bias could approach diagnosis with the openness of a beginner; however their training and expertise would be vital during a procedure when they need to be decisive and act quickly, relying on years if not decades spent honing their practice. For most of us, most of the time, when we are not facing life-or-death decisions, beginner’s mind is an incredible philosophy to practice.

Beginner’s mind keeps us open to new possibilities, while expertise provides the tools to navigate them effectively. Embracing both can let us approach life with a richer, more adaptable perspective. I’ve found that the benefits of beginner’s mind shows up in everyday life including in strengthening relationships (listening to learn), enhancing learning, problem solving and overall joy in life by continuing to be fascinated even with the mundane.