The Learner’s Mindset 101 (how to be a learner + why)
Having a learner’s mindset makes you an expert. To be a learner is to approach life, skills and new ideas with an open, beginner’s mindset. It’s like a superpower.
The benefits of this way of thinking and approaching problems tend to be growth and consistent, sustainable skill building.
Unshakable expertise, with the perfect amount of humility.
So welcome to a complete guide on cultivating this way of thinking and seeing the world.
Let’s get to it.
What Is A Learner’s Mindset?
First things first, let’s get some quick definitions out of the way.
So, what is a learner’s mindset?
A learner’s mindset is a perspective and way of living that views new experiences, setbacks and unknowns as important learning opportunities for growth.
This way of thinking is closely connected to a beginner’s mindset, which is approaching things with a curiosity and novice perspective, as to absorb new information without any biases or preconceived notions.
To be a learner is to be curious, unbiased and open to trying new things and welcoming failures with a happy grin.
And it’s a powerful way to live.
So let’s explore some of the exciting benefits to this way of thinking.
Why It Matters (the benefits of having a mindset for learning)
Skill building is more than just acquiring hard skills and technical information.
To be truly great, it requires a certain mindset.
As soon as we think we know everything, this is when it’s important to recognize we definitely don’t.
For starters, we don’t want to fall victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect.
This is a phenomenon where the less we know about something, the more confident we tend to be. Conversely, the more we learn about something, the less we realize we know.
Here’s an image to demonstrate.
So, besides avoiding the Dunning-Kruger effect, why else does having a learner’s perspective matter?
Here’s another solid reason. Moore’s Law states that technology doubles every 18-24 months, and price is cut in half. That rate is probably faster now (and will continue to speed up, especially with AI).
So if we apply this sort of axiom to knowledge, we get an interesting insight:
Much of what we know today will change over the next 1-2 years, requiring us to constantly be learning to stay on top of things (especially — or rather, mostly — in tech or innovation industries).
So in short, never stop learning.
Here are some more sweet benefits for cultivating a learner’s mindset:
You get smarter and more competitive in your field or industry
You have more ability to reduce the stress reaction from failures or mistakes
You’re more likely to make innovative connections between unrelated subjects
You’ll be more humble, patient and curious
You’ll become more confident and foster stronger self-pride
It’s investment in yourself — which always pays in dividends
You’ll get better at listening first and listening more (vs. speaking)
You’ll become more objective and empathetic to see multiple angle or perspectives
How to Be A Learner (6 tips for cultivating a learner’s mindset)
Now on to some practical tips.
Learning how to cultivate a learner’s mindset requires consistent awareness and practice.
So stick with it, and enjoy the process. These are my top tips for becoming a better learner.
1. Hang Around People Outside Your Current Skill Level
This first tip is one of my favorites.
It goes without saying, but our environments and the people and things we surround ourselves with have a big impact on our lifestyles, habits and mindset.
So let’s stack the cards in our favor.
If you want to cultivate a stronger learner’s mindset, try to match the following things to that energy:
The people you spend time with
The content you consume
Your environment and physical surroundings
2. Study Multiple Verticals, Subjects and Niches
A learner’s mindset means you’re forever curious and collecting information from multiple sources and multiple verticals.
So a great way to step into this way of thinking is by living it.
One of the best ways to develop a learner’s perspective on life is to start studying multiple fields, niches and topics.
Dig deeper into your passions and explore other perspectives or ideas. Now branch out and learn new topics.
And you don’t need to become an expert on every subject you end up going down the rabbit role on.
You’ll naturally dig deeper on the things that interest you the most, but sampling various subjects and topics is a great way to step into your learner’s mind.
Luckily, there are endless resources online – YouTube, free (or cheap) online courses, blogs, etc.
Of course, the only caveat I can think of here is to also balance this curiosity and exploration with focus.
When you do find a subject, topic or goal you want to double down on, isolating it with your full attention to become an expert is important also.
3. Practice Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking is sort of like approaching a problem or topic from multiple angles and perspectives.
It can take some practice, but the goal is to get into a free flow, lateral thinking state – this is where creativity lives.
The opposite would be convergent thinking, which focuses on finding one solution or angle to a topic or issue.
A simple way to try more divergent thinking is to pick a specific problem or topic, and then brainstorm multiple solutions or ideas around it.
For example, let’s say I buy brand new guitar strings, but one of them breaks while putting them on my guitar:
Possible solutions could be:
Buy another set of new strings (an obvious solution)
I try writing music with only 5 strings (an interesting and creative challenge)
I use one of my extra older strings from another guitar (which may sound strange with the newer strings)
I use another instrument or medium to write my songs (such as my MIDI keyboard and computer)
I take this as a sign from the universe to give up on guitar and proceed with selling my acoustic (reasonable, right? hah)
As you can imagine, most problems will have more than one solution (finding the best one is the next trick).
4. Practice Listening More Than Speaking
I can’t recall who said this, but there’s a quote that goes something like this: “When you talk, you’re only repeating what you already know. So listen more than you speak to learn more.”
So that’s the basic idea for this tip – listen more than you speak.
This can be surprisingly difficult, because talking about what’s going on in our lives and what we’re passionate about is hard to suppress.
But learning to listen more (with an open and objective mind) is essential for cultivating a learner’s mindset.
So the next time you meet someone (or meet up with an old friend), focus on asking more questions and listening more than speaking.
Because remember, everyone knows something that you don’t.
5. Go Solo Traveling
There’s a simple truth that most will agree on: travel changes you.
There are various benefits to traveling more and experiencing different cultures. But one of the best results is developing a strong sense of adventure, curiosity and the realization that you know nothing.
This is a learner’s mindset.
Nothing is more humbling than throwing yourself into another country where you don’t speak the language and your safety nets have been essentially removed.
Of course, be smart about it and don’t put yourself in overly precarious situations.
But travel is probably one of the quickest ways to get out of your comfort zone, question how you see the world and to start thinking more like a lifelong learner.
6. Try New Things, Often
This is the perfect segue from travel – try new things often.
Traveling is an extreme example of this. But there are other, smaller things we can do every day to get into a learner’s mindset.
From taking a different route to work or switching up your morning routine to trying new restaurants or taking dance classes, there is a ton of things you can try.
Every new experience will change you.
The more you try new things, the more you step into becoming a full-time learner.
So get uncomfortable, feel stupid and embrace trying new things – it’s a surefire way to be a learner.
BONUS: Become More Process-Oriented
Falling in love with the process is essential for cultivating a learner’s mindset.
So this last tip is just as important as the rest.
Becoming a process-oriented person means you’re focused on the journey, not the result.
Of course, having goals and getting after them is important too — but loving the journey is way more important for long-term, sustainable success.
Actually, I see goals as more like checkpoints (since I tend to believe there are no finish lines).
Process is everything and it’s the small daily steps we take that end up creating the massive changes over time. It’s the fuel of the compound effect.
So love the journey, don’t rush things and — when the time is right — take time to step back and see how far you’ve come.
It’s a rush.
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