Peon’s Mind

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” — Shunryu Suzuki

I first stumbled across the concept of beginner’s mind a few years ago from reading investor David Lee’s blog post:

When I first started investing in 2007, I didn’t know anything about it. And it was daunting as hell. Some of my peers had way more experience operationally and as an investor. So I tried to keep a “beginner’s mind.” This was at times really hard because it meant asking really dumb questions and looking pretty clueless in the process. But it also helped because I wasn’t burdened with unhelpful biases. And those dumb questions actually questioned some “best practices” that were hardwired only because of legacy and not because of common sense.

At 26 years old, this was profound.

I was rising quickly in my profession and felt that my head was getting to me.

I needed something to set me straight and slow me down.

And this concept was it.

No matter how good you get, there’s always more to learn. Better to approach with an attitude of naïveté when learning something new than acting like you know something when you really don’t (that has NEVER served me well).

I’ve always loved this quote form Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh:

Image source: Startup Quote

But a ‘beginner’s mind’ isn’t enough.

It’s too nice and forgiving.

For people that need some sense slapped back into them from time to time, there needs to be more of a kick to it.

Something that has more of a zing.

How about peon’s mind?

A peon is defined as a unskilled farm worker.

ZUG ZUG

To an old Warcraft player like me, a peon represents many things:

  • By themselves, they can’t do much.
  • But in numbers, they can grow an empire.
  • Peons might not seem intelligent, but if they just keep working hard, they’ll build something worthwhile… as long as they are working on the right things (e.g. managed by a great player)
  • Peons don’t have an ego because well… they’re at the bottom of the food chain.

In many ways, approaching life with a peon’s mind is more direct (and even offensive) — it’s analogous to saying “dumbass” to someone instead of “not intelligent”.

Being called a beginner just feels nice and most people can agree that they’re a beginner, so it doesn’t spur as much action.

Thinking of yourself as a peon gets the blood boiling because you never want to be thought of a peon at the end of the day. Do you recall the days where you interned for someone? Or your first full-time job coming out of school?

You didn’t get to make the impact you wanted to make. You did things you didn’t want to do. You might’ve even been treated poorly.

You were a peon.

Do you remember all the things you did to break out of that mold? The motivation that you felt when you were at the bottom of the ladder? The sense of urgency?

That’s the mindset you need to bring back.

The hungry mindset.

4 things to get started with Peon’s Mind


1. Meditation


Getting started with a peon’s mind requires a mindset shift. And that starts with mindfulness.

And a great way to get there? Meditation.

Here’s a quick intro to how it works:

I recommend shelling out the $4.99 to watch it. It might just change your life.

And for those of you that like to read, I recommend reading Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation.

It’s a very simple read and explains why meditation helps sharpen focus. It’s also the reason why you hear about the top performers all having some type of meditative practice in their lives. The Tim Ferriss podcast has examples if you need some.

For me, I get a feeling of calm and focus before the chaos of the day starts.

Calmness helps me remove some ego.

A peon’s mind cannot have ego. ☺

Try meditation out for 5 minutes and see what it does for you.

2. Meditation Apps


There are a number of good meditation apps out there that can serve as training wheels for the learning process.

I recommend Calm or Headspace.

3. Record the days you meditate


To keep yourself on track, I recommend tracking your progress. You can use an app like Habit List.

I talk about it in more detail here.

4. Add Nozio to your Mac (or listen on Spotify/Pandora/YouTube)


Adding ambient noise while you work is great if you need to just focus. And I’m not talking about music — just pure noise.

For example

  • Coffee shop sounds
  • Rain
  • Thunder
  • Ocean waves
  • Campfire

I use Noizio for this.

You can also just use YouTube/Spotify/Pandora.

Conclusion

It’s not easy to set aside your ego to approach things with a peon’s mind. That’s why adding any element to your life that might dampen your ego and sharpen your focus helps.

Although mindfulness and meditation are part of the peon’s mind equation, it’s really just the beginning.

Now, if you don’t mind, this peon is going to get back to work.