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Two minds
Learn to be an expert and a beginner at the same time
For my 40th birthday, I decided to get a tattoo.
I chose a Zen Buddhist phrase that has resonated for years with me:
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.
I’ve long taught in creativity classes to college students that thinking like a kid is a superpower. It takes effort to cultivate fresh eyes, so a tattoo where I’d see it throughout the day would serve as a reminder to myself.
After researching fonts for weeks, I consulted with my tattoo artist about where to put the design on my body. The inside or outside of my arm? Maybe part of both arms?
He told me if I tried to fit the entire phrase together the font would be too small and would blur together over time. He recommended I split into two segments, mock it up on my arm and see how I liked it before settling on permanent ink.
As soon as I saw the design on the outside and inside of my left arm, I knew I found the perspective I needed.
This way, it all depended on how I looked at the situation, as an insider or an outsider.