Starting From Where You Are: Embracing Beginner’s Mind to Cultivate Growth and Productivity

Welcome to the first episode of the Mindful Productivity Podcast! I’m Sarah Steckler, and I’m thrilled to have you here. If you’re ready to transform daily chaos into calm and embrace each day with intention, you’re in the right place.

Today, we’re exploring what it means to start from where you are—a simple but powerful concept that can change everything. We’ll also dive into the beginner’s mind, a key aspect of mindfulness that allows us to approach life with openness and curiosity.

Why Starting from Where You Are Matters

Wherever you are in life right now, the best and only place to start is exactly there. This can be challenging, especially since we often want the “perfect” setup before we begin. We want the timing, environment, or even how we feel to line up just right. But when we give ourselves permission to start where we are, without waiting for everything to align perfectly, we open the door to incredible growth and self-acceptance.

Trying to leap ahead or waiting for ideal circumstances often leads to disappointment and frustration. Instead, focusing on the present moment and taking things one step at a time prevents us from “jumping into muddy puddles” of our own making. When we embrace where we are now, we can move forward with clarity and ease.

How to Start with What You Have

One essential part of starting from where you are is starting with what you already have. Too often, we use the excuse of needing “better” tools, materials, or resources to delay beginning. Maybe you’ve told yourself that you need new storage bins before organizing your space or top-quality bakeware before trying a new recipe. We’ve all been there!

But here’s the truth: You already have enough to get started. By focusing on what’s immediately available, you simplify the process and reduce the pressure to have everything perfect. For example, if you’re decluttering, start with the storage options you have rather than spending time and money on containers that might not even fit your needs. Start small, use what’s in front of you, and build from there.

Recognize and Accept Your Current Circumstances

Starting from where you are also means accepting your current circumstances. Think of it as building a foundation. Just like you wouldn’t jump to fifth grade without going through second, third, and fourth, you can’t skip steps in life either. Your circumstances shape what’s possible at any given moment, and working within them can help you make sustainable progress.

When it comes to physical goals, for example, it’s essential to be honest with where you are rather than pushing too far too fast. This approach helps you create sustainable routines, preventing burnout and injury.

Drop Comparison and Embrace the Beginner’s Mind

Comparison can be one of the biggest obstacles to starting where you are. But it’s not just about comparing yourself to others. We often compare ourselves to past or idealized versions of ourselves, which can lead to frustration and self-doubt. Maybe you think, I used to be more fit, or I felt more confident back then. These thoughts take us out of the present moment and keep us from truly accepting where we are now.

One powerful approach is to adopt a beginner’s mind, a key component of mindfulness that involves seeing things with fresh eyes, curiosity, and openness. By focusing on the present and dropping expectations, we free ourselves from the weight of comparison.

Focusing on Expansion and Possibility

When you start from where you are, you can shift from feeling stuck to seeing possibility. Sure, it’s crucial to acknowledge negative feelings and vent if needed, but it’s equally important to reframe your thoughts and focus on the future. Ask yourself:

What new opportunities will this journey bring?
How will I feel as I work through this process?
What positive outcomes will come from this action?

By focusing on the experience rather than just the outcome, you’re more likely to take that crucial first step.

Tap into Your Inner Resources

Sometimes, starting where you are involves tuning into resources already available to you. We can easily overlook the wisdom and knowledge within ourselves, reaching for advice from others without first pausing to reflect. Instead of reaching out for validation or reassurance, ask yourself:

What do I need right now?
What has helped me in similar situations before?

You may be surprised at the answers you find within. Remember, you have knowledge and resources right at your fingertips.

Seek Out Support

Support doesn’t have to come in the form of a mentor. Sometimes, just having someone to cheer you on or listen to your frustrations can make a big difference. Whether it’s a coach, friend, or loved one, knowing that someone has your back helps you move forward with confidence. Don’t let pride hold you back from reaching out for support when you need it.

Embracing Beginner’s Mind in Challenging Times

Starting over or moving forward can be tough, especially when life feels overwhelming. Beginner’s mind can help you navigate these situations with more acceptance and openness. It’s about being willing to see things in a new light, even when they’re hard.

If you’re in a difficult spot, consider what’s true versus the stories you’re telling yourself. What parts of the situation are within your control? What worries can you set aside, and what can you actively work on? By focusing on what’s real and actionable, you create a foundation for moving forward from wherever you are.

Thanks for joining me on this episode of the Mindful Productivity Podcast. Remember, wherever you are right now is the perfect place to start. Embrace it, accept it, and take that first step with confidence.

Until next time, embrace the power of starting from where you are.

Welcome to the Mindful Productivity Podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Steckler, and this is the place to be to live a more mindful and productive life. If you're ready to turn daily chaos into calm and start your days with intention, then get ready to join.
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As we dive deep into mindful living and personal productivity. It's time to connect with your true self so you can live the life you want to live. And it all starts now.
In today's episode, the first episode of the Mindful Productivity Podcast will be exploring the concept of starting from where you are, along with what it means to adopt beginner's mind, a key component of mindfulness.
I'm so glad you're here.
Let's get started. No matter where you are in life right now, there's nothing more powerful than starting from where you are. This is also, Ironically, one of the hardest things to do. We want things to be perfect. We want timing to match up in these magical ways. We sometimes want to look or feel a particular way before we get going on. That one big thing. But if we try to jump ahead of ourselves and start from a place we aren't at yet, we will set ourselves up for disappointment, added resentment, and might say, screw this to the entire thing. It's really when we take one step at a time that we prevent ourselves from jumping directly into those big muddy puddles. You can't always start from where you want. In fact, you can only start from where you are. And the more that you allow yourself to be in that space and accept that space, the better prepared you'll be to know what to do next. We all have to start in the moment we're in. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it's not so bad, and other times it's the most grueling thing we'll do. But when you give yourself full permission to start in the moment you're in, everything begins to expand.
Let's dive into the concept of starting from where you are, and more importantly, too, starting with what you have. So a lot of times, whether we're in a situation that we don't feel super comfortable with, or maybe we're trying something new for the first time, or maybe you just feel really overwhelmed with a new project you have. A lot of times we want to skip all these steps, right? And really, it's important to think about, like, what do you already have in front of you? So we could use an example of decluttering your house. So what do you already have in front of you? And one thing that we do is, like, a huge excuse. I'm so guilty of this is how many times have you thought about either decluttering your house or starting a project, or maybe even like, baking cookies or trying a new recipe? And before you even begin to do that, you get into this headspace of, okay, well, I'm going to need all the perfect stuff. First I'm going to need all the perfect bakeware. I want all the best ingredients to make these cookies. Or if I'm going to declutter my house, then I'm going to need all these different kinds of tubs and containers.
So you go to the Container Store or Target and you spend $200 on all these containers, and then you come back to the house 4 hours later and it's like, I don't really want to get started on this. And then you've not only got started, but then you have all these containers and you still have all this stuff that's not organized. Right. So oftentimes it's less about going out and using this preparation as an excuse and instead just starting from where you are with what you have. So if you're going to Bake something and you have a new recipe, maybe you don't have all the perfect ingredients, but you have enough. You have what you need. Maybe you don't have the perfect cake mold for some cake you want to do, but you still have something, right? Sometimes it's important to just try something first and start with the materials that you already have and really simplify it and make it easier on yourself. Because the truth is that there's always going to be there'll be other opportunities to try this thing that you're trying out for the first time again and perfect it. But it doesn't have to be perfect the first time.
And also it's also important to think about your current circumstances. So what are your current circumstances like? What do you have available to you? And I always like to use this as kind of a form of acceptance. So we couldn't jump into fifth grade if we were in second grade. Right. We have to go through the steps first. So you have to think about where you are, what's in front of you, what's available to you, and what are your current circumstances and really starting from there. For example, there have been so many times in my life when I've been really on top of my running or my exercise and I want to take it to the next level. And I really have to be like, well, are you going to go run 10 miles and blow out your knees? Because I've totally done that before. Or are you going to research where you're at and your current physical level in terms of running?
And then from there.
Are you going to decide how much to increase your tempo or your distance every day and really taking that into consideration so that you really have this foundational place to start from where you are and build this foundation so that it can be sustainable? Right. Another thing about starting from where you are is starting without comparison. And when we think about this oftentimes, people say, well, I don't really compare myself to other people that much, but it's not just comparing yourself to other people. It's also comparing yourself to your past self. And I do this all the time. Like, oh, I used to be more this or that, or I used to be in better shape, or I used to feel better or I felt a different way, or I didn't feel so much this way. And the truth is that the more we compare ourselves to our past selves or to this idealistic future self, the more we end up taking ourselves out of the present moment, the more we end up putting all this energy to what was or what we want or what someone else has. And we really take away our agency and our ownership to begin.
Right. We stall ourselves. And one thing, too, is to really think about and I'll touch on this a little bit later in today's episode, but really to think about the fact that when we typically compare ourselves to someone else, we typically are comparing ourselves when we feel the worst to someone else, when they feel their best, or to the version of themselves that we can see, the successful version, the version they've posted on Facebook, the version of years and years of something they've worked toward. And then we see ourselves at the beginning and we go, you know, so it's really taking that into consideration and really realizing that there's a lot more to it. Another thing about starting from where you are is really adopting this mindset of expansion and possibility versus feeling stuck and incapable. And before I dive into this part, I want to say I'm all about holding space for negativity and holding space to vent. I think it's really important. I think it's really, really vital to acknowledge where you are, how you feel, what doesn't feel good, what sucks, what you don't like. It's really important to be aware of that and get that out of your system and vent that.
But to not get stuck there, because ultimately right, we kind of find what we search for and what we seek, and we see the world in different ways depending on the thoughts we have. But really it's thinking of things and reframing things. So after you've had that time to event and get stuff off your chest, it's really thinking about what will starting from here give me? And eventually, if I start right now, what will this ultimate goal or this ultimate change really give me in my life? What kind of possibility is there for me in the future to go back to organizing and decluttering your house, for example? It's like, how am I going to feel when this is done? And even more importantly, how am I going to feel during the process of this? So sometimes we get really attached to the outcome, and that feels so far away that we don't actually take action because we're not committed to the process of something. So it's really getting clear with that, too. What would things really look like if you really took that first step and you really got going. Another thing, too, is what resources are at your fingertips.
So instead of going out and spending all that money at the Container Store or wherever to get everything organized, what resources do you already have at your fingertips? I saw this amazing post the other day, and it was speaking to anxiety and depression. And what it really did was it was like kind of tapping into Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? So it had a series of questions. It was like when you are feeling anxious or you're feeling depressed or you're just not feeling connected with yourself. When was the last time you had a glass of water? When was the last time you ate something like had a real nutritious meal? Or even when was the last time you took three deep breaths? And a lot of times when we're starting something, we overlook the wisdom and the knowledge that we already have inside of us. It's kind of like if you're having I do this so often, I have to catch myself. You're kind of having this internal crisis about you're feeling indecision or you're wondering how to handle something or someone said something. And instead of looking inward and being like, what do I need right now?
What do I have to think about? Or what's a healthy distraction? Or how can I redirect my thoughts? Sometimes we start reaching out to everyone. How many times? How many times have you copied and pasted a text to more than two people because you want everyone's feedback or forwarded an email or called multiple people frantically like, oh, this happened, what do I do? How would you feel? What would you do? Tell me, tell me. And while it's okay to vent and we all are guilty of that, sometimes when we don't look at the resources within us first, we forget that they're there and we can forget to look at stuff that's like, right in front of us. As an example, I was frantically making brownies. One day I was going to go to a party and I was like, I want to bring something. And I did everything. I shoved them in the oven. And then like, 20 minutes later, I'm like, nothing's happening. And I realized I didn't even turn the oven on. And at the time I was at my mom's and she was laughing. She was hysterical laughing at me like, wow, you didn't even turn on the oven.
But when you think about it, we do this in our lives a lot. We don't even turn on the oven. We don't even connect with ourselves and think about, am I reacting to this? Is there something that's triggering me or tapping into something? Or what's a better way I can respond to this? And especially when we're starting something new, whether it's moving or a new project at work or trying something new, like, maybe you're 45 and you want to learn how to play guitar, whatever it is, that's awesome. But what we tend to do is when we feel like we're so new at something, we tend to feel less than, and then we can kind of blank on the resources that are in front of us because self doubt starts kind of clouding up our mind. So really just taking a moment to step back and be like, Wait a minute, I know all of this. And really tapping into having that conversation with yourself, you know, find that friend that can really help you tap into what you need instead of just aimless advice. If you can find someone in your life, whether it's a coach or a friend or even journaling, as a way to really get clear on what's already available to you, what do you already know?
What have you done in the past that has really worked in a situation where you felt brand new or you had no idea where to start? And the last thing about this concept of starting from where you are is asking yourself what people do. You have to support you. And this one is tough for me because I am this person, and I've worked on this. I have a lot of pride. I had to work on my ego a lot. I often feel like if I'm going to start something new, whether it's a project or I'm going to do something completely different or out of the blue or not, something that people would tag me as doing, I start thinking, oh, no one's going to support me in this. No one's going to care. So I'll just do everything on my own. I'm not going to reach out for any help. I'm not going to ask for any kind of opinion or feedback. I want to do this on my own. And there's definitely times for that, right? Like, there's something really magically satisfying about doing something behind the scenes and then being like, look what I did everybody.
And then being like, what? But there's also something to be said about when you're going forward in your life, whether you're working through a struggle or whether you are starting something new. There's something really powerful about reaching out to other people. And the thing about support is that it doesn't necessarily have to be a mentorship or it doesn't have to be necessarily with someone that's done what you're wanting to do. Because as much as we collectively have this human experience, we aren't always all doing the same things that other people in our lives are doing. So even just having someone that says, wow, this is amazing. I support you. I'm here if you need to vent. Like, I've got your back. I can't tell you how many times when I was going through a rough time in my life and someone just said, I'm here, I've got your back. I'm rallying behind you, everything changed for me. It was like, oh, my gosh, I can totally do this. And it's also really just realizing that we all start from the beginning somewhere. We all have to take that first step. We all have to take that first small risk.
We all sometimes have to turn a corner not knowing what's around the bend. We all do that. So just really owning that and getting started. There another thing I want to talk about is this concept and this key component of mindfulness in terms of adopting beginner's mind and what that means, what that looks like in some ways that you can really do that, because when you lay the foundation of being like, I'm starting from where I am, this is new. Or maybe you're starting again or starting a new. Adopting beginner's mind is key in helping you feel really empowered and confident in getting started and going from that place. So I have a question for you, and it's when was the last time you felt comfortable saying, I don't know, either to a crowd of people or to your boss out of the blue? It's not fun, right. And it can be super uncomfortable, but it can actually be one of the most powerful things you do. Because when you say, I don't know, you're actually giving yourself the opportunity to see those gaps that you're missing. Right. And to really get started there, I'll give you a quick story.
It's kind of a little tangent, but when I can't tell you how many times we go to Ikea, my husband and I, and we get back and I'm like the one that always puts the Ikea stuff together, I'm always like, oh, this is going to be so much fun. I love this stuff. And most of the time I look at the box and I look at the pieces and I go, oh, I got this, I got this. I put the instructions aside. I always crack open a beer when I put together Ikea stuff. And so I'm like, halfway through, I'm feeling a little tipsy. And I'm like, well, where the crap is this? What's going on here? And why is this not going together correctly? And my husband will come into the room and he'll be like, well, did you even read the instructions? And I'll kind of roll my eyes, like, now. And the truth is that we have to be comfortable saying, I don't know. And that's always like, my ego being like, well, I don't even know I can do this myself. And the truth is that I would make it a lot more easier on myself, and I would make it a lot more enjoyable if I did follow the instructions.
There's a time and a place to be a trailblazer. And putting together a really complicated piece of Ikea furniture is not the time. No one's going to be cheering me on because I was the person that did it without the instructions. So it's really putting that aside and being like, you know what? I don't know how to do this. And look, there's instructions that do tell me how saying to your boss even, hey, I don't know how to do that yet, but I'm going to find out how. And I'm going to go contact so and so in that Department, we're going to have a meeting. We're going to work it out, or even if you're answering your question, hey, I don't actually know that, but I'm going to find out or we're going to work on that together. That can be huge. There's been so many times in my life when people have I've been having a conversation with someone and somebody will say something really intellectual or they'll say something about current events that I just have totally not been paying attention to or whatever. Yeah, totally. And really what that ends up doing is the conversation stalls and gets awkward because they're like, oh, well, how do you feel about it?
And it's like, or it doesn't allow me the opportunity to gain more wisdom and knowledge, more perspective. Because if I say, oh, I'm not aware of that, what's going on, then people can fill me in. Right? So it's really just starting there and being like, I don't know. Adopting beginner's mind also really gives us this opportunity to bring awareness to the gaps in front of us. The gaps we might not even know are gaps. And the best ways to find that information, the resources and tools to fill them in with intention. So like I said before, it's really being aware. Like, we don't know what we don't know. Right. So admitting that really helps us fill in those gaps. And it's also coming back to this Ikea example. It's when we get really ego driven or where we feel this internal need to know and take care of everything ourselves that we can really begin to feel really burned out. We can feel resentful and completely overwhelmed. One thing I want to touch on here, first of all, is that it's totally okay to be a beginner. You may be going, yeah, I I know know.
But here's the reminder. Let's really hit this home because I think that we feel hesitant in admitting that we're starting or that we don't know something. And I would feel completely awkward. And I'd probably feel that way if I wanted to go start karate tomorrow and all my peers were three year olds. And although there's nothing wrong with that, I would feel like, oh, wow, I haven't started this. Here I am, I'm 30 years old, and I'm starting this for the first time. I would fill out a place. But here's the thing. Starting something for the first time, even if others have started before you or at a different age, is totally okay. And I want to give you a couple of examples here that I found really inspirational. So one of the most famous designers today actually spent most of her life as a journalist and a figure skater. And it wasn't until her wedding, right before she turned 40, that she actually decided to design her own wedding dress and then get into design. And we now know her as Vera Wang. Right. But she wasn't doing this since she was two. She wasn't doing this.
She didn't study this in College, and she didn't devote her whole beginning first half of her life to this. She hit 40, and she goes, oh, my gosh, I want to do this. And she did it. And thank God she did. Right. Because now we have this amazing gift of all of her fashion. It's the same way with anyone that does something. It wasn't until Rodney Dangerfield actually hit 46 that he landed his first big gig on The Ed Sullivan Show. And we can say too, I don't know how many years that took. There's always a backstory. And some of these people could have been working on these things much longer. Right. Sometimes we don't see success until it's been brewing and brewing for decades and people finally hit something. But there are definitely instances where people have not started something until way later in life, and then they've had success. If Laura Ingalls Wilder had decided that she was, like, too old to write a book, we wouldn't have The Little House on the Prairie stories because she didn't start that until that didn't get published until she was 65. You wouldn't even be talking about the same evolutionary ideas today if Charles Darwin hadn't published the book The Origin of Species until he was age 50.
It really just makes you think, I want to ask you, what are you putting to the side that you're really passionate about or what haven't you tried yet? Because you have this idea in your mind that you're too old or, you know, you're 240 or you're 245 or you know what I'm saying? Like, you're too any one thing or like, my time has passed for that. There are people doing things at every age. There's no reason why you can't start something. There's no reason why you can't be a beginner and do it or try it. And I always say, too, like, how fun would it be to say that at age, whatever. I tried this for the first time, and it was awesome. And another thing about beginner's mind is really just being open. You're open to new ideas. You're open to new experiences. You're open to not doing things perfectly or even failing or being embarrassed or any of these things. You're really open to it because that's part of it. Right. And you're also open to any assumptions that you may have that may be proven wrong. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've talked to people or family members that say, oh, I can't I can't do that.
I can't paint. I can't draw. I'm not good at singing. I'm not good at anything. Right. And the truth is, like, sure, okay, maybe you're not the next Olympic champion, or maybe you're not going to go on to Dancing with the Stars and blow everyone away or have Simon, like, hit the golden buzzer and bring you to Hollywood. That doesn't mean that you're not good at something. Just because you're not the best at something doesn't mean you're not good. And it also doesn't mean you're not capable of trying something. I have a couple of friends that have always said, oh, I can't draw or I can't paint. And then they just started it. Right? Look at Jim Carrey, for example. He started painting, and his stuff is amazing. Like, amazing. And he's never really tapped into that until much later in life. So just be open. Be open to new experiences. Be open to what something might feel like. Be open to the fact that, no, you might not do it perfectly, and maybe it won't look or feel the exact way you want it, but you started that's beginner's mind. It's so powerful. And also it's also starting something from a place of nonjudgment.
You know, do yourself a couple. And this does yourself oh, my goodness. This does a couple of favors for you. You take away those incessant expectations that can lead you to feeling like, less than or not good enough, or that urge you to give up. When you come at something from a place of non judgment, you're also giving yourself you're giving others a gift because you're allowing yourself to take on the role of student and observer. When you allow yourself to step into beginner's mind, it's a lot like saying to the universe, I'm ready to receive this. And that's awesome, right? That's also something that Janet is really going to appreciate when she's trying to show you how to paint something. And you've already down, like three glasses of Pinot noir at your sister's best friend's painting party. Right? So really being in a place of non judgment, being in a place where you're open to receiving, allows other people to help you, which is a huge gift. It's a lot like accepting a compliment with a thank you, like, thank you instead of saying, oh, no, that's not true. Or here's the 75 reasons why that's not true.
It's really a lot more welcoming, and it's really a gift to someone else. When you can accept a compliment, when you can be in a place of receiving in terms of learning something new or not knowing what to do next with your life, but being open to possibility. So it's tough. And I know that I want to be good at everything immediately, too. But stepping into beginner's mind is really going to help you start from where you are. So the last thing I really want to touch on too is like, but what about beginner's mind when life isn't going so hot, when it's less about not knowing something and it's more and a willingness to learn and it's more about starting over, it's more about being in a place that you don't like or realizing I'm not comfortable with myself or with my body or with this situation I'm in or this relationship. Like, what does it mean? How do you adopt beginner's mind when you're in that place? And really, then that's where it becomes Challenging in a different way. But it's really being open to experience, being open to things shifting and changing.
And one thing, too, is that we get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We get comfortable in our misery. We get comfortable in complaining about things and having people come to us and be like, no, it's okay or I'm here for you. There's this cycle that we get in when it comes to changing things in our lives, and I've been in so many situations in my life Where I just hated it or I just felt so stuck or I knew there was a certain amount of time that still had to go by before something would change. And it's really like accepting that it's kind of like a form of radical acceptance, if you will. But if you're feeling really struggling, if you're feeling really stuck right now, what I want to tell you is that adopting beginner's mind and really getting clear on what's happening, what are the truths about the situation I'm in and then what are the stories that I'm telling myself instead? What do I know to be true? What can I control? What is an actual worry and then what is an actual concern and really getting clear on that because we can worry and this could be a whole other topic, but we can worry so much about stuff, but we can actually take action on some stuff that we're more concerned about, some stuff that we actually do have control over that we can prepare for.
So when it comes to beginner's mind, I just want to hit this point home that no matter where you are, you have to start there. You have to start in the moment you're in. You have to give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling, whether that's discomfort, whether that's being angry, give yourself permission to feel those emotions So that you Canva start where you are So that you can get moving forward.
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