Those who know me will often hear me say that life is ‘all possibilities’.

By this I mean that each day brings a fresh opportunity to make a new start.

Whatever life has thrown us up until today need not determine how we act today and for the rest of our lives.

The concept of life being an endlessly renewing opportunity is one that is central to the Zen philosophy.

Shunryu Suzuki, in his classic work Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,  wrote:

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.

I remember when I first read these words. I had bought the book that morning and was sat in the garden of a public building in Bristol, waiting to go in and start a food security course.

The sun was shining and it was a warm June day; the garden was full of birds, bees and butterflies and I remember feeling very relaxed.

I opened the book and turned to the prologue. I read the sentence above and stopped.

I then closed the book and sat in the garden for a further 20 minutes or so, until the course started. I never read any further. This was all I needed to hear at that time.

Over the intervening years, this sentence has stayed with me. It has guided me and helped me to remain curious and alert when dealing with life’s issues and opportunities.

From a business perspective, it is good to be reminded that none of us know everything there is to know about any situation – no matter how familiar the situation, the people involved may be very different.

This means that the potential outcomes will vary according to the interaction of the various characters involved.

If we approach a familiar situation expecting to be able to apply a generic solution, we will be doing a disservice to those involved and will end up with a less than satisfactory outcome.

By approaching the problem with a beginner’s mind, we don’t assume anything. We are curious and ask questions.

We do not seek to apply a generic solution, because by its very nature a generic solution will not be appropriate for anyone.

If we approach life in the same way, as a beginner, we will notice that we have more possibilities open to us than we originally thought.

By questioning, being curious and truly seeing what is there (rather than what we expect to be there), we soon discover that life is, indeed, all possibilities.