TSAS #45: Have you adopted a true learner's mindset?

Hello SAS Community,

Question of the week: Have you adopted a true learner's mindset?

• The three biggest mistakes I made that you can learn from my online presence.

• How to nurture this learner's mindset if you are still working for someone else.

• Reading time: 4 mins

First, I can't tell you how grateful I am for each one of you who is still reading these letters. I know you can choose over a million things to consume but if you are still here, I appreciate you.

Many times when I hover over people's profiles on socials, I come across the word, “life-long learner.” And you may consider yourself one too.

The truth is it takes a lot of practice and perspective shifting to adopt a true learner's mindset.

In 2018, I built my first website which you will laugh and might find super cheesy called, “Heartify Your Brand.”

I had gold and teal as my color palette which I am still in love with but later on I realized that my brand was anything but feminine.

I love feminine brands and have nothing against pink, gold, or soft pastels.

But, why am I telling you this story?

It's because ONE of the biggest mistake I made was that I spent way too much time hiding my flaws and not finding my way to actualizing.

I thought online presence meant activity that involves website creation, designing a ala carte menu of services, and posting pretty quotes.

None of them felt natural and rather forced, rushed, and ingenuine.

But there was something through that process that I didn't realize.

The unlearning of what I already knew how businesses operate with 500-1000 employees.

The business of a one-person is at a completely different level playing field.

Coming from a mid-size corporate, the environment was totally different in operating under a solo propertiership.

I didn't manage staff, train, work with teams across multiple department, or have complex systems to navigate.

The attribute that I needed to grow into was the idea of “simplicity.”

When I saw my peers crushing it online with a simple landing page and booking links, it made me think.

Simple was challenging and new for me, yet I had to learn how to simplify things to keep improving my knowledge.

It was no longer under the influence of performance or approval from bosses type of behavior.

Remember when Apple had to unlearn about iPods. The trend was moving to simplifying and making customer experience seamless. I still have them in my Gym bag unfortunately.

Embracing a learner's mindset requires change in thinking around the current environment you are in.

Which mindset do you gravitate towards?

1. I'd more likely to choose projects I already know rather than experimenting something new.

2. I am willing to select challenging work that will help improve my skills.

The second big mistake was waiting to build something until my career came to a screeching halt.

I had zero presence, reputation, or any kind of substance built online.

When I started taking it seriously, it felt like my dentist appointment from two weeks ago.

“So, it looks like you are not flossing everyday. We are going to need to do some deep cleaning that will cost $450," said my dentist.

Now, everyone has different goals.

My goal initially after leaving corporate was to land freelance gigs.

The problem I ran into was that my network was limited to what I had already prebuilt which was a scattered and inconsistent identity.

They key learning moment was “leveraging potential" through a clear intent. You can leverage your network when you make others aware of who you are.

No one really knew what I was building towards.

To spread your personal awareness, it takes effort to take control over the narrative others have around you.

It is easy to make assumpions, claims, and make up something when you are not sure about what it is that you are trying to do.

I had random people over the years come for services thinking that I was purely a logo designer including friends sending me referrals.

This took an active learning to ask, “what other opportunities am I avoiding?.”

Which mindset do you gravitate towards?

1. I tend to avoid situations where I may not perform well.

2. I like to set challenging goals where I may not meet versus easy goals I know I can surpass.

The third mistake I made was not asking the hard questions. Yes, questions that will go inward and look from outside in.

I was in a rush to package my services, and sell it to audience where I didn't have a clue if they would be a potential fit.

A forced brand is something I've seen where people can't relate, connect, or become champions.

There are many one-time hit wonders. The problem is that they trick you into thinking it's working but years later after they have vanished.

The worst advice is when people tell you to charge your worth.

No one can possibly tell you how much you are worth.

Our self-worth is not determined based on ourselves but on what kind of value we bring to the table.

The painful learning for me through asking these hard questions was that I wanted to rush the growth.

Yes, you can bypass, shortcut, and shorten the learning curve but figuring out what makes you "you" is a necessary first step.

I avoided getting in front of the people who matter most.

Working on “YOU” takes a lot more than I have a website, profile, and business card ready for networking events.

Some people call it your unique selling proposition or value prop.

I prefer distilling down your unique value to take learning to a whole another level.

This type of learning becomes more memorable in the act rather than memorizing best practices to force the action.

They become that much more meaningful when you participate in online activities.

Which mindset do you gravitate towards?

1. I tend to avoid and skip questions so I can move on to the next step.

2. I like to invest in growth that allows me to look within and understand myself better.

Whether you are working for someone else or yourself, you can nurture this learner's mindset with those gravitating statements.

If you are leaning towards the second, you are well on your way to adopting a learner's mindset.

Look for opportunities especially when things have not gone your way to extract what can you learn from this or that.

Channeling your thinking to learning rather than performance can improve how you approach problem-solving.

Everyday day we get these learning moments and opportunities but rarely do we take the time to understand them.

If you have been enjoying these letters, I would like to send a survey this week to get feedback on what I can improve on.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great rest of the week, and stay tuned for brand-new episodes releasing in January for my podcast.

Stay Humble, my friend.Yours Truly, Humaira"Create a collection of memories. Not distraction"