The Active Cultivation of First Times As A Means of Renewal
Renewal can result in feelings of optimism and expanded energy if we process information as though we are experiencing something for the first time. I’m a big fan of first times, and I actively cultivate memories of wonderful first times in my life. They are full of joy and possibility.
To experience people, situations, places and things as though you are experiencing them for the first time is to be revitalized and, in a real sense, have your relationship to them be reborn. We have become so accustomed to processing situations as if they are always the same that we have missed the new-ness of each moment.
Try this exercise: Say, “I am experiencing _______ for the first time. What are things about this situation that I have never noticed before? How can I make it better? What can I learn? Where do I best look from the perspective of beginner’s mind so that I can have a fresh relationship to life’s circumstances?”
Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.