WTF is Learner Mindset anyways
A 4-step process, a story and a checklist.
Learner mindset is a tricky and elusive thing.
It’s tricky because there are many definitions for what it is and isn’t. Learner mindset isn’t taught at school – if it was, you would get more exposure to this concept and be able to better understand it and use it to your advantage. And I wouldn’t have to explain it here. But here we are, and I think we all owe it to ourselves to try to understand what it means.
If you want to understand better if the learner mindset is for you – let me tell you a story that captures what it feels like to adopt it and use it to become an expert in virtually any field.
Learner mindset is powerful and transformative.
How? Well, because when enabled, it incorporates something akin to the Buddhist awakening. You suddenly gain access to so much more information about the world. Your optics change completely. You become courageous and feel a sense of wonder and potential. Your natural curiosity begins to flourish like a beautiful flower. And where there is growth, there's a potential for great success. As they often fly together.
What if I told you that adopting the right mindset could lead you to success in life? Let me show you how.
A learner's mindset is one of the most valuable mindsets one can develop. Sure, the success will take time to emerge, but it will come to you as it has come to me.
You see, for most of my life, I felt lost. I couldn't pinpoint what I'm really about. I switched interests like gloves. Changed careers and industries a lot. On top of that, my relationship with ideas has been highly promiscuous, to say the least. Having your head filled with many different and often contrarian ideas and desires can sometimes be daunting. Some call it the curse of generalists. Some call it a blessing. Looking back in time, I treat it as the latter. Discovering the learner mindset enabled me to reconcile this hard predicament of mine. It brought peace and conviction to my life, and I'm sure it will also bring it to yours.
Success needs structure. Because without support, things tend to fall apart.
For the learner mindset to elevate you to new heights, you will need a proper structure to support it first. Once the scaffolding is in place, you can begin tuning and developing it. On top of that, you will also need about three years of smart productivity to reap the first rewards of adapting the learner mindset.
Within those three years, you can get incredibly wealthy, both financially and experientially.
Here's the no-bullshit 4-step process for how to do it:
Adopt the learner mindset in 2 months.
Become an expert in an emerging domain in 9-12 months.
Spend the next 36 months on creating value for others.
Reap the rewards.
Simple? Yes. Easy? – not really. That’s why I'm here to transport you to the other side, and help you with the above steps.
The most important skill for getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner.
~ Naval Ravikant
Follow the Light
It's 2027.
Meet Lucy.
She's a digital nomad constantly moving between the European tech hubs of Berlin and Warsaw and the Portuguese surfing spots of Ericeira.
Ambitious, talented, and fulfilled generalist. She runs a successful firm in the Generative AI space. The firm has experienced an enormous growth period starting from 2025. There are 10 people onboard, and the firm is growing YoY. On top of that, quite recently, Lucy has been invited to give a TED talk; she's also writing a book capturing her most recent insights about where the AI industry is heading. She lives in a happy, supportive, and safe relationship. Recently adopted a dog from a shelter. At that point, we can all agree that Lucy is a very successful individual.
Yet, it wasn't always like that for her.
Time traveler
Let's turn the clock 3 years backward to the year 2024.
There she is.
Working a menial job at some random Polish startup.
Picture Lucy in a dark room, filled with negative thoughts and regrets that she missed the crypto craze train and feeling unresolved FOMO about it.
Will she miss the AI craze as well? - she wonders during these long and lonely nights.
To add insult to injury. Lucy's smart enough to notice the patterns.
And what do the patterns say?
Her keen observation skills make her notice multiple things about the world she can't wrap her head around. And it bugs her tremendously.
The radical pace of an ever-changing world.
The world is nonlinear and hard to predict.
The technology that's accelerating all other processes.
New job descriptions emerging.
She feels overwhelmed, slumping over a dimly lit 12-inch iPad screen and reading the" Every" article about another AI advancement.
The old approaches to having a successful career don't work anymore – That makes Lucy feel even more down and disheartened.
Gone are the days of having a university education set you for life. The world moves too fast.
Gone are the days when her skills (which she worked so hard to acquire!) are enough to make her succeed. All these skills are necessary, yes, but not sufficient. To make things worse, even the newest skills she acquires are becoming outdated fast.
Sitting there with her favorite black-as-the-night coffee, she begins to wonder.
Suddenly, the caffeine flowing in her veins makes her more alert and receptive to stimuli. Her brain begins to bathe in a serotonin soup of her own making. Her frontal lobe cortex has thought highways wide open now. A thought emerges; "It's not only the world changing fast, it's me as well that's changing and growing. Damn!" She sighs… "Why is it so hard to integrate all these changes in me?".
More thoughts and more questions ensue – most likely following her ambitious desire to ride the technology waves: "Would I have a better shot at the Crypto craze if I got earlier? How can I jump into the next big thing and make it this time?"
Asking such questions is uncomfortable, yes, but also very necessary as it puts her on a path toward exploration. And somewhere on this journey, she discovers the concept of learner mindset.
Things shift in her. A certain energy gets awakened, ready to be utilized. She begins to make up her mind about what she really wants to do.
She’s always been into visual art, emerging tech, and data. So she begins to ideate.
Then it strikes her. Generative AI is kinda cool! – she jumps up when the thought emerges. It makes sense to her on so many different levels.
Inspired by this experience, Lucy begins using the learner mindset to become an expert in this emerging domain called Generative AI.
She gave herself 9 months to gain the required knowledge and expertise. Talking about dedication, right!? Remember that becoming an expert requires a good process, self-management, and an open mind.
What Lucy did through these nine months is what I call a "Domain Jump."
She transitioned from a familiar Data Science domain to a new one (GenAI). She did it gradually by leaving the old and welcoming the new. What's cool about it is that there was virtually no competition for GenAI's jump at the time, which made it particularly remarkable. And she felt the thrill and excitement of discovering something new. Finally, she was in her element.
Plus, she felt she could put her unique twist on what she was building! The space was new, and what she began to learn and create came from her passion (visual art) + unique skillset (Data Science) and B2C experience.
Planting the seeds
A learner mindset emerges from having a curious attitude about life. It means being open to new experiences and understanding the importance of learning in our private and professional lives.
What does it mean exactly?
It means you learn how to keep learning new things, build a flexible mind, and finally, practice 'knowing yourself' and dedicate your attention to new ideas and concepts.
A learner mindset helps you navigate your way to becoming an expert.
And the best part about it?
You can become an expert in anything.
Don’t believe me? All right – consider this for a second. Ask yourself what emerges from a combination of these four powerful themes: a) brain neuroplasticity, b) abundant access to information, c) child-like curiosity, and d) a strong dedication. Yep, you are right – an individual that can quickly gain expertise in virtually any realm. There’s nothing magical about it. It’s pure life chemistry, a matter of the proper arrangement of certain ingredients.
You need to learn how to thrive in today's world and reap the rewards that come from it. Learning how to transport yourself from zero to hero (through genuine effort and skill) is a powerful gateway to abundance and realization. You need to learn how to become an expert in any field quickly.
For Lucy, it has been the GenAI field she was deeply interested in.
So, she decided to become an expert in the GenAI domain.
She understood that only through becoming an expert at something that deeply interests her she could escape the rat race, spread her wings, and fly.
We feel a particular push and pull when we become alert to our needs and desires. Lucy wasn't only pulled by her desires and curiosity; she was also pushed by the zeitgeist.
Yuval Noah Harari captures these contemporary world dynamics neatly when saying:
Nobody has any idea what the world would look like in 10 years. (..) We have no idea how the job market would look like in 10 years. We have no idea what skills will still be needed. (...) So, the most important skill is the skill to keep learning and changing throughout our lives. (...) To keep reinventing ourselves (...) To build your mind as a very flexible mind.
~ Yuval Noah Harari
Becoming an expert
In today's rapidly evolving world, it's way more important to master a new and upcoming domain within a year rather than having selected the perfect field of study in the distant past.
Sure, you still need to dedicate time and energy to learning, but the time frame is vastly different now. Remember that becoming an expert means dedicating yourself to something. Dedicating your focus and your attention. It means saying yes to one thing and no to another.
Returning to our curious Lucy – she had a tech industry background (Data Science specialization), which made it easier for her to transition into the GenAI domain. Stop for a second and think about what sort of background you have. I'm sure it's valuable and beautiful.
There is an inspiring example of making such "domain jumps" and putting your unique twist on new and emerging things. Jack Butcher is a master domain jumper. He began in the visual design domain. Then, transitioned to consulting and creator economy, building the Visualise Value project. Finally, he caught the wave of the NFT Craze of 2021-22, worked hard, and, on January 3rd, released incredibly successful and highly profitable internet art projects called "Checks" and "Open Edition." The crypto bros got crazy, and the art sold out fast, bringing him and his team millions in NFT sales, and the rest is history.
If you apply yourself and bravely jump domains, you can attain success similar to Jack's.
Yet, solely becoming an expert won't cut it. Creating value for others through your unique expertise will. And this, my friend, is a topic for the next article. Stay tuned for it, and make sure you are subscribed for more.
The wrap
It's 2027, and Lucy is reaping the rewards and living a fulfilling life. Consider what stops you from stepping on a path like Lucy's.
As we wrap up our exploration of the learner mindset, let Lucy's journey be a guiding light for all of us. In the ever-shifting landscape of life, marked by uncertainties and rapid changes, adopting a learner mindset emerges as not just a strategy but a life-changing philosophy. Lucy's transformation from a person grappling with doubts and regrets to a successful digital nomad in the GenAI space highlights the power of this mindset. The roadmap laid out — embracing the learner mindset in two months, becoming an expert in a year, and dedicating three years to creating value — provides a tangible plan for those seeking growth. It's not merely about becoming an expert; it's about a continuous journey of learning, adapting, and, ultimately, creating value for others. Lucy's story, though a mere glimpse, resonates with the possibilities that unfold when one commits to perpetual learning.
So, as you embark on your own journey, remember that even the faintest steps, taken consistently and with conscientiousness, can lead to profound transformations.
Take care, my fellow learners!