Partner News | Learning With A Beginner’s Mindset

On  an unusually hot summer evening in Denmark, I was enjoying the sunset  with my daughter. As we were just enjoying the sunset and the landscape, she asked: “Mum where are all of the tall buildings?” As an adult, this is a sweet and innocent question from a young beginner’s mindset.We continued the chat about how the population density is very different to Guangzhou, where we live. To put it into perspective, its population is roughly three times that of Denmark’s. The place where we were viewing the sunset was a few meters above sea level, a far cry from the Guangzhou skyrises.  After some discussion, questioning and comparison of other countries, my daughter concluded that Denmark was a bit like a farm.

A day later, I was visiting Copenhagen and it was as if my teenage memory had shrunk buildings to half the size they really were.

 

Now my logical brain knows very well that building work had  not taken place over the last few years to shrink buildings in  Copenhagen. It is, however, my perception and memory which is at work, something that has developed and changed over the span of my existence.

As we live, work and collect life experience, it is important to understand how we see the world through the life we have and are leading. It is neither right or wrong, it is just who we are. We should, however, at times remember our learner’s mindset, which is innocent and explores concepts and new experiences with curiosity and fascination. When we adopt a learner’s mindset, we don’t let our backstory judge, or make reactive decisions. We get to explore with curiosity and openness, which may open and inspire us. In the future where diversity, opinions, and working environments will change fast,  it is important to remember to adapt and not lose touch with our  learner’s mindset. To truly understand and work with diversities, it is important to always stay curious.

Nurture your learner’s mindset this summer.