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Listening Meditation This week's trek is inspired by Darden professor Edward Hess's research on why "listening is the most important 21st-century business skill." You know that moment when you realize no one is listening to you? It's the worst, right? We hate it when others don't listen to us but we often mimic that same behavior when it's not our turn to talk. When someone else is talking and you spend that time thinking about what you are going to say or you interrupt them to make your point, you are making an active choice not to listen.   Hess argues that our inability to listen gets in the way of our ability to critically think. He believes that thinking critically isn't just about analyzing what you know -- it's also about being open to what you don't. Your Listening Meditation What It Is A partner meditation that creates space to rethink what it means to listen and what it feels like to be heard.   Why We Love It  When we have conversations with other people we are often driven by an unconscious obligation to respond and react in a certain way. This exercise gives us an opportunity to break some of those norms and explore new ways of consuming and interacting within a dialogue. How It Works 1. Find a friend and schedule 6-10 minutes for your partner meditation. 2. Pick one person to be the speaker and one to be the listener and set a timer for 3 minutes. During that 3 minute period, the speaker has full reign to respond to the prompt “What is it like to be me?” The listener isn’t allowed to say anything but can respond through nonverbal communication. It’s important for the listener to hold eye-contact while the speaker is speaking. 3. After the 3 minutes conclude, switch roles and repeat the same exercise. 4. After the exercise, take a minute to reflect by asking: - What did it feel like to be the listener? How did I listen differently in this context? - What was it like to be the speaker? How did I feel? - How might I hold a different space for the speaker and listener roles in my daily activities based on what I’ve just learned? Want to dig deeper into this topic? To read about the eight things that often get in the way of our ability to listen, check this out from Inc.  To learn more about the characteristics of bad listeners, check this out.  For tips on how to be a better listener, read this. Shout. It. Out. To Angel Hu for her next-level exercise crafting skills! Shout. It. Back. To treks@lifetrekkers.me if you have praise or gripes about this trek or random thoughts about Life Trekkers. Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "The creative recovery exercise was one of my favorites. This exercise helped me push past my creative blocks. I love using it to clear my mind and reflect by rereading it at the end of the week." - Dama Dipayana, Founder of Be Frank   Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@trekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

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Reining In Your Ego This week's trek is inspired by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter's research on the egoless leader. Ever thought of yourself as a big deal?  You aren't alone. Whether it is through Instagram, Twitter, or your role at work, many opportunities exist these days to reinforce how amazing/capable/brilliant you are. When it comes to working with others, though, focusing solely on yourself is not the way to win. In fact, through a survey with 30K leaders Hougaard and Carter discovered that compassion for others was one of the most important traits a successful leader should possess. Your Reining in the Ego Exercise What It Is A 10-minute exercise to bring more compassion and understanding to others. Why We Love It  We spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves - how we can nail that presentation, win that quarterly award, or show everyone around us how smart/fabulous/right we are. While all of that is gloriously self-serving, no person wants to follow someone who is only in the game for themselves. This exercise helps you focus more on others and how you, as a leader, can better serve them. How It Works 1. Set aside five minutes right before your next meeting with a coworker, direct report, client, or your child. (We know it's probably not a meeting if it's with your kid, but we've heard it still works!) 2. Start off by closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths to clear your thoughts. Then, ask yourself: - Who am I meeting with next? - What matters to them?  - What challenges does s/he have that I can help with? 3. Make a commitment to bring this new perspective to your meeting. Then, use it to provide this person with one thing that will better support his/her needs. 4. After your meeting, take a few minutes to reflect on how things went. Were you able to create a new connection with this person? Do you have a better understanding of who they are and how you can help them? Want to dig deeper into this topic? To hear more from Hougaard and Carter about their research and how they structure this exercise, check out this podcast. To hear John Mackey's take on the value of emotional intelligence, watch this video. To learn more about why emotional intelligence is important for success, check this out from FastCo.  Shout. It. Out. To Erin Hersey for her next-level exercise crafting skills! Shout. It. Back. To treks@lifetrekkers.me if you have praise or gripes about this trek or random thoughts about Life Trekkers. Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "When I started envy advantage I didn't realize how much envy was sapping positive energy in my life. The easy exercise offered a moment for powerful reflection that would have otherwise been unattended to." - Ian Manheimer, VP Strategy @ TCN Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@trekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

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Embodiment Exercise This week's exercise is inspired by Niels Diffrient's work as a pioneer in the field of ergonomics. His 50+ patents led to the development of industrial designs that made the workplace less painful. Does work wreak havoc on your body? From laptop induced hunching to expense report triggered teeth grinding, our bodies get whacked out at work.  Researchers like Linda Stone argue that even technology - not just your work environment - encourages you to ignore important information about what your body needs. By taking a brief moment to check in with your physicality each day, you can gather insights from your body about how you're feeling and where your biggest sources of tension might exist.  Introducing Your Embodiment Exercise What It Is A five-minute opportunity to tap into your body’s intelligence. Why We Love It  Our bodies can give us a lot of information about our biggest sources of stress before we are even consciously aware of them. This exercise uses physiological observation to help you gather insights about yourself.   How It Works 1. Take 5 minutes at one or two points in your day for an embodiment meditation. 2. During this meditation, close your eyes and take a scan of your body. Work your way up from your toes all the way to the top of your head. Pause in each section and let yourself notice each area. (e.g., What are the sensations in my feet? Are my shoulders relaxed? Where is my front? Where is my back? Am I clenching my jaw?) Then, without trying to control your body, take note of what it might be telling you. Ask: - Where might I be feeling tension? - Where am I intentionally holding myself up? - When is my breathing shallow or deep?  3. When you complete the meditation ask yourself: - What new information do I have about how I am feeling? - Are there certain parts of my day where my body is sensing a change in my emotions? Want to dig deeper into this topic? To explore more about body scanning meditation, check this out from NPR. To learn more about how to beat physical forms of stress at work, read this. To learn about where people commonly hold stress in their bodies, check this out. Shout. It. Out. To Angel Hu for her exercise crafting skills! Shout. It. Back. To treks@lifetrekkers.me if you have praise or gripes about this trek or random thoughts about Life Trekkers. Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "The Tutu exercise was one of my favorites. Bob Carey's story was really inspiring and the exercise motivated me to reflect on a number of things that I feel vulnerable about in life and the workplace." - Alex Farivar, VP of Product @ McGraw-Hill Education Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@trekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.