A growth mindset is vital for living a purposeful and fulfilling life. In this vlog, I talk about the value of the culture of learning that we create within ourselves. What I mean here is cultivating a growth mindset, also known as a beginner’s mind. Regardless of the level of experience. It’s not about being the expert, it’s about staying curious. Not only because life is more fun that way, but because it’s a route to heal past hurts, expand our minds and hearts – and become happier human beings!

There is lots of science to support this, which I link to at the end. This vlog dives deeper than the video goes, so it’s worth reading to the end. Plus, there’s a gift for you when you do.

Main Themes

• Growth Mindset & Curiosity
• Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
• Resilience & Change
• Cultural Influences on Mindset
• Personal Values & Self-Reflection

Growth Mindset & Learning

• Approaching learning with curiosity keeps us open to new ideas.
• A “beginner’s mind” helps us stay humble and receptive.
• Thinking “I already know this” limits our ability to grow.

Three common self-sabotaging thoughts

“Been there, done that”

This fixed mindset stops further learning in it’s tracks. We decide we already know and close our minds to any new learning, We stagnate. This is common among experts or people in positions of responsibility who feel a pressure to know and be the authority, it stops the deep learning that is possible when we stay open to being ever-students of our areas of interest. That curiosity drives the passion and purpose and stimulates us into refining our perspective in a much more sophisticated way. When we look for a new piece of information in the moment, a nuance, a perspective that can offer something fresh to a familiar topic – we inevitably grow.

“It’s fine for you, but it’s not possible for me”

This assumes past failures mean permanent failure. The challenge can become pervasive and impact many other ways of showing up, we have a local experience and then limit ourselves in an incrementally more global way, this can result in avoidance behaviours and even phobias. A past experience does not dictate the present, but it may dictate our experience of it unless we are consciously choosing to stay curious.

“Nothing will ever change”

This was of thinking is nihilism. It leads to or results from repeated knock backs with insufficient positive reinforcement and becomes learned helplessness. Instead, adopt an experimental mindset: tweak a small thing and try again.

These scenarios can be the case if we have had traumatic experiences especially, as we want to shut down to stay safe. Understandably – but if we buck the trend of our nervous system and dare to keep listening, we can gently encourage a new possibility to emerge. One that can disprove our past experience and allow a new possibility. Healing happens when that new possibility can show up, get noticed and allow the nervous system to assimulate and down-regulate according to this new reality.

Allowing in a new learning moment to moment can literally change our neurosynaptic connections. Our brains can rewire to allow more bloodflow to the frontal lobe cortex in that moment, allowing us to discern between old reactions and new responses. Over time this calms the nervous system to let go of hyper vigilance (a common response to past pain) and attune to emotionally safe people and experiences, even when past echoes feel loud.

A curious mind drives that process.

Resilience and Change

Success comes from persistence—getting up and trying again. One of my favourite researchers, Brené Brown, quotes Theodore Roosevelt in her book Daring Greatly. It is one of my favourites, so I’ll share it with you now:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

—Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

As we know that human brains have neuroplasticity, we also know that we can change our brains over time. Steven Kotler, Founder of the Flow Research Collective, multi award winning author, and one of my mentors – believes our brains are literally changing moment to moment based on our decisions. We decide the path we choose and deny based on our every day decisions. Therefore, overcoming mental, emotional and physical adversity are absolutely possible with the right mindset.

Cultural Influences on Mindset

Some cultures like mine, with our British humour, famed around the world for our excellent comedy and witty banter – but us Brits embrace sarcasm and self-deprecation, which can limit confidence. It’s celebrated to put ourselves down in my culture. Don’t get me wrong, noone wants to be conceited and ‘up themselves’ but having self belief is not being self inflated, it is giving ourselves the chance to achieve more than we know. Brits are also famed for highlighting our failures as part of general conversation. This stands out when you travel the world. It comes across as odd in many cultures who are less apologetic and who stand firm in their self belief and achievements. Other cultures wear their strengths in humour and confidence and openly celebrate their strengths and achievements with sass and wear it with an attitude that is both warm and attracts confidence. This then leads to more self belief, more grit and more likelihood of success. Balancing humility with self-recognition is key.

Personal Values & Self-Reflection

Be mindful of values you’re moving towards vs. moving away from. We often have hidden values we are repelled by, they can be largely unconscious but can drive our behaviour in powerful ways. For example, if you want to speak on stage, or become a musician but are afraid of being disliked, this can stop you ever even trying to realise that dream! It can cause complete paralysis on taking actions on major projects, relationships, quests in our journey to self actualisation! So it is vital we load our positive experiences with emotion to provide evidence to our nervous system of that positive result being more possible. Celebrate the wins! Cheer your friend on and be vocal! Show up in support of others in your team, your community, your company, so that we can learn that the positive result can become louder than the fear of failure.

The values we are moving towards are the beacons that burn for the person we are becoming. We are never the embodiment of those values, we are only ever walking towards them. The humility of that fact can become a driver for growth, as well as a driver for inspiration. Who is ten steps ahead in the area you value? Who embodies the qualities you want to emulate? Stay close to them, spend time with them, note their choices, milestones, strategy to overcome moments of failure, ways to stay empowered strong and moving forward. Taking radical responsibility for our thoughts, words, and deeds can be liberating. Knowing what values you stand for helps guide decisions and priorities.

Action Steps

1) A curious, open, and resilient mindset can be transformational, helping us overcome personal struggles and unlock growth. Reflect on a moment you closed down your mind, and actively reframe it as an opportunity to rewire your brain for growth. Then choose one thing you can decide to stay curious about today.

2) Choose one core values that underpins your actions this week. Choose a mentor who emulates your chosen value and follow their work.

3) Download my Growth Mindset Visualisation Meditation below! 

The Science

Here is a list of relevant scientific papers that support the points made in the video about growth mindset, curiosity, and learning:

1. Yeager, D. S., et al. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573(7774), 364-369 [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1466-y].
2. Gruber, M. J., & Ranganath, C. (2019). How Curiosity Enhances Hippocampus-Dependent Memory: The Prediction, Appraisal, Curiosity, and Exploration (PACE) Framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(12), 1014-1025 [https://direct.mit.edu/imag/article/doi/10.1162/imag_a_00134/120389/Broad-brain-networks-support-curiosity-motivated].
3. Spachtholz, P., & Kuhbandner, C. (2021). Broad brain networks support curiosity-motivated incidental learning in naturalistic dynamic environments. Imaging Neuroscience, https://studentexperiencenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/What-We-Know-About-Growth-Mindset.pdf, 134-150[above link].
4. Watkins, E. R., et al. (2018). The effects of cognitive-behavior therapy for depression on repetitive negative thinking: A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 232, 236-246[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29699700/].
5. Ng, B. (2018). The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset and Intrinsic Motivation. Brain Sciences, 8 [https://elearn.eb.com/neuroscience-and-psychology-of-curiosity-the-key-to-engaging-minds-in-the-classroom/], 20 [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5836039/].
6. How to Change Negative Thinking with Cognitive Restructuring. Medically reviewed by Nicole Washington, DO, MPH — Written by Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA — Updated on June 5, 2023 https://www.healthline.com/health/cognitive-restructuring
7. How Dopamine Shapes Learning: Unveiling the Brain’s Secrets, Harry Cloke, https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/dopamine-learning/
8. Nurturing Curiosity in Children through Dopamine Sprinkles, https://www.roxanamurariu.com/nurturing-curiosity-in-children/

The above papers cover core aspects of growth mindset, curiosity, and learning, including neurological evidence, experimental studies, and meta-analyses of cognitive-behavioral interventions. They provide scientific backing for the concepts discussed in the video.

Growth Mindset: The Key to Mastering Any Skill

Cat is a coach, speaker and senior yoga teacher, Founder of Nine Lives Yoga and creator of Flux to Flow and the 4 Pillars of Happiness. Cat’s work supports people and professionals move from burnout to brilliance, manage their mental health, and step into a state of flow.

She speaks as a catalyst for change and coaches people in peaceful practices that connect people and planet. Cat has worked with over 25,000 clients across 11 countries from speaking to hosting retreats to diving deeper with clients through her coaching course.  She lives on a modern eco village in Bristol where she loves practicing Acroyoga, walking her dog in the Cotswolds, and partner dancing with friends for joy and inspiration.