Word for not underestimating something

I am writing an essay in which someone underestimates something because they think it is beneath them. Then, they realize it was actually very good, so I was a noun to convey the meaning of not underestimating the potential of something?

I really liked "don't judge a book by its cover," but I need a noun, and I feel that is too cliche. I want to sound more thoughtful.

Sample sentence:

At first, I thought it was beneath me. However, after days of work, I learned having "the quality of not underestimating the potential of this experience" was essential for life.

Solution 1:

"Open-mindedness" might do.

An open-minded person would be unlikely to prejudge a book by its cover, or to assume a thing was beneath them before they had looked into it more closely.

"... I learned that open-mindedness was essential for life."

Solution 2:

Allow me to rephrase the sample sentences a little:

At first, I thought it was beneath me. However, after days of work, I realized that achieving full appreciation of certain phenomena required more time than I previously thought.