“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”
— Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind —
Hello, and my very best to you and yours.
Here are 3 things I've been thinking about over the last few days that I'm excited to share with you.
***
on the beauty of inefficient ideas
I was watching videos on how Japanese designers approach small spaces when I heard one of them mention they were a fan of “Chindogu.” Since I’d never heard of the term before, I decided to look it up.
I’m glad I did.
Chindogu is the art of inventing technically functional but highly impractical solutions to life’s nagging problems. (Think mini-umbrellas for your shoes, a fan attached to your noodles to cool them before each bite, or a onesie for your baby with mop pads so they can clean your floor while crawling around.)
We live in a world obsessed with optimizing everything to make us more efficient. But Chindogu laughs at all that. It serves as a strong reminder of how good it can feel to simply let loose. Just you, your idea, and a burning desire to make something inefficient and "unuseful."
What I love most about the concept is that it prioritizes the glorious question of —
“What if I tried something simply because it’s fun?
This practice releases the pressure to be brilliant. You tinker. You laugh. It frees you from perfectionism. And oddly enough, sometimes the best ideas come after you play around with the "dumb" ones.
Take the time this week to notice what others overlook and brainstorm ridiculous solutions. That tiny friction point. That silly inconvenience. Chindogu forces you to observe life not for what it is, but for what it could be — if you just got a little weirder.
And I don’t know about you, but I could use a little more weird in my life right about now.
***
on beginner's mind
A few years ago, a former book-writing client asked me to hop in on a design project for a well-known museum. I told him I’d love to get involved, but I didn’t have any experience in that space.
“That’s exactly why I want you,” he said. “I like bringing in someone who doesn’t know the rules or what we’re supposed to do, as they tend to see things my team and I overlook. There’s a lot of power in a beginner's mind.”
This response stuck with me, not just because it gave me permission to start, but because it reframed what inexperience actually meant. He didn’t see it as a limitation. He saw it as a creative advantage.
It reminded me of the story about Orson Welles. When asked how he had the confidence to direct Citizen Kane at just 25 years old, he replied —
“I didn’t know what you couldn’t do.”
That’s the power of the beginner's mind in a single sentence.
Industry veterans often become deeply attached to their way of doing things. They’ve built systems and habits that help them move faster. But this can come with a cost. Most poignantly, it can make them less flexible and less likely to notice a new or better approach hiding in plain sight.
When you’re not burdened by how something is supposed to be done, you give yourself room to invent your way through it. Instead of following industry formulas, you follow your instinct. And that space—that stretch between not knowing and trying anyway—has a funny way of helping us come up with novel ideas.
Beginner’s mind gives you permission to ask the so-called dumb questions. The ones insiders stop asking because they assume they already know the answers. Or worse, they’re too scared to ask because they’re afraid they’ll look stupid.
But if I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s to question any response that involves, “That’s the way things have always been done!”
If there’s something you’ve been thinking about starting — a project, a practice, an idea that won’t leave you alone — don’t wait until you feel qualified.
Start while you still have no idea what you’re doing.
Sometimes being an inexperienced outsider who isn't spoiled by best practices can make all the difference.
***
on befriending your inner critic
A big theme of my book is learning how to befriend your self-talk so it stops holding you back from going after what you want. And of course, the moment it was published, I came across a quote and an exercise that would’ve made a perfect addition to the manuscript.
The quote comes from performance psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr, and I first heard it on The Tim Ferriss Show:
“The power broker in your life is the voice that no one hears. How well you revisit the tone and content of your private voice is what determines the quality of your life. It is the master storyteller, and the stories we tell ourselves are our reality.”
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had more than your fair share of moments when your inner critic spins doubt and talks you out of doing something.
The first step in softening that voice, like most things, starts with awareness, as you can’t change what you don’t notice.
Many people suggest journaling about what your inner critic is saying. This is for a good reason. It’s a powerful practice. Seeing your thoughts on paper often reveals how brutal that voice can be, while opening the door to question its validity.
But Loehr took it a step further.
When working with athletes, he'd have them wear a microphone during high-stakes games to record their self-talk in real time. Later, they’d play it back to hear how critical and downright mean they could be to themselves.
I’ve been doing this for the past week. It hasn’t always been pleasant, but it has been eye-opening. It’s one thing to see your thoughts on paper — it’s another to actually hear how you talk to yourself.
Whenever I catch myself saying I can’t do something, or that I’m not brave or strong enough, I pause and ask, “Is that really true?” Then I pressure-test those thoughts by taking note of all the times I’ve done harder things.
If you’re tired of letting your inner critic run the show, give Loehr’s exercise a shot. Record your self-talk the next time you feel stuck or riddled with doubt, and listen to it later to bring that voice out of the shadows.
The stories we tell ourselves hold tremendous power.
Good things happen when we take the time to question them and ultimately rewrite them.
***
That’s it for today.
I hope you have a great rest of the week, and until next time, make weird stuff, start before you’re ready, and never stop questioning the stories you tell yourself.
Onwards.
—Michael
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Shy by Design: 12 Timeless Principles to Quietly Stand Out
“In a world that lionizes loudness, it's actually the quiet and shy among us who are best set up to thrive. Thompson provides an important new way of understanding what it really takes to stand out!”
―Cal Newport, NYTimes bestselling author of Deep Work and Slow Productivity
It makes for a great gift for any of your shy or reserved friends, colleagues, and family members who have something to say but struggle to bet on themselves.
PS2: If you're new here and like what you read, you can cruise over all past installments by clicking the link below.
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