Secret #2: Why an Innocent Approach is a Smart Way to Go
Sabine Starr, Certified Life Coach
The second secret in this series of 10 simple ways to experience relief in daily life is: Adopting a Stand for Innocence. My company motto, “Reclaim the Ease of a Childhood Summer,” is inspired by that way of being. If you watch a child at play you can see how he/she is absorbed in the moment, unbiased, curious and full of joy. When was the last time you approached something like that? It is great to have moments like that in life, and it is better to approach life as such, out of a habitual attitude. That is the way we invite possibilities into our life that we ourselves don’t know. The point is that we do not need to be already knowledgeable about any given possibility, we just need to be open for something new.
Have you ever noticed that the older we get the more threatening situations and places seem to be even though we know nothing about them? We tend to think we need to be fully prepared before we even get started. Thus, we are keeping ourselves at the same level, with no chance to learn anything new. We are also blind to many possibilities available to us at any given time. We continue to choose things we already know and go to places we have already been, rather than adventure to something new.
Beliefs and assumptions also keep us from growing, as do comparing, judging and the general attitude of already knowing. Whereas, none of the above seems like anything we would choose voluntarily, it is what we fall into if we mistake our subjective experience of the world to be the all valid objective truth. Adopting a stand for innocence can be hugely beneficial in any kind of communication. If we think we know what the meaning behind someone else’s words is, we interpret without seeking to truly understand the other. Many arguments start out that way; where an innocent follow-up question would have kept the conversation going smoothly and satisfyingly.
We all have most likely experienced a stand of innocence in time of transition: going off to college, starting a new job, getting married. In times like these, we don’t know yet what the outcome will be. There are many possibilities to shape this new chance. We can leave habits behind, and we can make conscious choices for the things we want in our life. It can be a good reminder for how free we can feel, with joy and excitement. It has been proven in learning situations that it is important to be open-minded, to listen and only then to incorporate what we heard into what we already know. Rather than listening while coming from a place of knowing. We base judgments on former experiences, but situations are complex and hardly ever exactly the same.
Consider the fact that we are not the same today as we were yesterday, based on an experience. This secret is easy to grasp in concept and is simple enough and fun to practice. For this month, I invite you to go play, have fun, be the absolute beginner, and be here to learn. You can listen to this principle in more detail at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rollercoasteroflife/2011/05/27/10-secrets-stand-for-innocence. Comments are welcome at office@starrcoaching.com.
Category: Life Style
