#7b: The value of being a beginner.

The beginner has an advantage over the expert, the amateur over the professional, the student over the teacher. In execution, they often have more options — they display Shunryu Suzuki's "beginner's mind", taking chances, questioning established wisdom.

Yet even more important is their heightened capacity to learn. The beginner's learning curve is steep. They more readily encounter the types of struggle that lead to growth.

By repeating becoming a student, the beginner learns many concepts; novel ideas are born from the intersection of disciplines. These novel ideas can generate unexpected success.

Related: 7, 7a