I found myself repeating that a lot during 2020 — It’s okay for you to change your mind.

From political views to rapidly-changing pandemic facts, we lived through a time where facts didn’t seem to sway opinions and people were more committed to their version of themselves built on old facts or long-held beliefs, rather than being open to change with the evolving times.

The Beginner’s Mind and Growth Mindset

I took a class last semester, and one topic we learned about was “the beginner’s mind” and having a “growth mindset.” In my own words (and not double checking any sources), “the beginner’s mind” is approaching the world like a child — with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Ask questions and don’t put your thinking in a box. Don’t fall back on the schemas that our brains so quickly pattern.

Growth mindset (again, didn’t source this so it’s just my interpretation) is focusing on learning, embracing challenges and trying to build new skills.

Take both of these concepts, and its obvious that changing your mind is a good thing. It shows that you’re taking in new information, challenging what you believe and (hopefully) growing.

It’s often hard, and requires us to admit (sometimes even publicly) that we were wrong. Or, not even wrong, but just that you’ve learned more about a belief you had and changed your mind.

In the spirit of living these principles, let me share one thing I’ve changed my mind about lately.

I used to hate Taylor Swift.

I wrote not one, but two hate posts about Taylor Swift. I’m almost embarrassed to link to both of those posts, because not only don’t I hate Taylor Swift anymore, but my hyper-aggressive writing style five years ago feels so unlike who I think I am now.

I was so sure Taylor Swift was the worst thing that’s basically ever happened to the music industry. Those posts are so incredibly unnecessarily harsh on a woman who is just trying to get what she deserves in a world that isn’t always the fairest.

But beyond just wanting to redact how I wrote about Taylor Swift — I also want to admit:

I actually like her new music.

I made a playlist (right) for you to also enjoy what I deem to be the best new Taylor Swift. As we’re talking about growth and change, you’ll notice that new Taylor Swift is very folky and delightful. She’s grown and evolved her music style.

While I’m always aware when Taylor Swift makes new music because I have a lot of Swifty friends, what really surprised me was seeing Bon Iver listed on songs. I adore Justin Vernon, so when I saw him on her track list, I listened in.

Loving “exile” was the slippery slope into discovering that the rest of Folklore was alright too. Then, when evermore came out, I found myself streaming it immediately.

The change of having to admit to myself that I really like Taylor Swift was a bit uncomfortable. I have been in so many conversations over the years ranting about how Taylor Swift isn’t good, that it felt like a part of my identity (albeit, not a big or important part of my identity, but one all the same).

Having to reconstruct any narrative about yourself is difficult, and now having to tell so many people that I enjoy her two latest albums does often feel like I’m walking back from a prior belief that I held very strongly. I can only imagine how difficult that is with pivotal topics (like masks, the “realness” of the pandemic, political views, etc.), but that’s a part of growth mindset.

Don’t be afraid to change your mind. That’s a positive outcome of learning. Just imagine what the world would still be like if you never changed your mind — you’d still believe that your parent’s face legitimately disappears during a game of peek-a-boo.