No, I’m not Britney Spears. And now I can’t get that song out of my head.

But I did catch myself doing something I had said I would stop doing. Yes, we’ve all been there. We commit to approaching things differently and turn right around and do the very thing we said we wouldn’t.

What am I talking about, you ask? You’re likely wondering what would make me reach back to a hit song from the year 2000 to explain myself.

“I already know that…”

Yeah, I’m talking about using the statement, “I already know that…”

These four words can seriously hinder growth. I’m not unaware of that. And yet I did it again.

I started out reading a book and the author advises to have a “beginner’s mind” or to approach the information in the book as if you’re encountering it for the first time.

There are exercises the book leads you through and he mentions that the people who have success actually worked through them as opposed to skipping those parts with the idea to come back later.

Most people rarely do. That's what I caught myself doing.

Shut It Down
Telling yourself that you already know something can shut your mind down in a heartbeat when it comes to new learning.

We started the New Thought-Metaphysics Lab class this week and that warning came up there, too.

Pam Grout, the author of the that’s the basis of the class says, telling yourself you already know something “collapses the wave, leaving no room for mystery, wonder, and new discoveries”.

When you feel we know it, you stop questioning and learning at that moment. It is tough being in a mentally-closed place.

Many of you, (me included), have read books, taken classes, attended seminars, conferences and listened to countless teachers who have similar messages.

Let’s Be Honest
And truthfully, most of it does point back to a few simple principles. That’s why they’re universal. They might be worded and packaged differently but it’s the same basic ideas.

So, you feel you have seen and heard it all.

“I already know that…”

Sure, on an intellectual level you do.

While we’re being honest, let’s admit it: there’s a BIG difference between intellectual understanding and putting these principles into action.

Application
The key is knowing the steps AND putting them into action. It’s about being mindful of your tendency to declare you already know it and stopping it.

It’s about being open enough to put aside your skepticism and truly test things to experience the results.

That’s what has me excited about this “lab”. Testing and measuring the principles we teach.

Lessons Learned
I’ve shared that doing these experiments is showing me that I have much work to do. When it comes to aligning my actual practices and application to what I say I know, there’s a gap.

And the first step is being aware that it’s there. Then doing something about it.

But then I already know that. Oops, I did it again…

New Every Moment,
John