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Change Aid This week’s trek is inspired Michael Singer's work on the role fear and uncertainty play in our ability to conceptualize change. Are there times in your life when you have been resistant to change? Change is hard to conceptualize and a lot of times the resistance we feel towards it results from our fear of the unknown. At the same time, we change all the time without really paying attention to it (remember  popcorn shirts? ). This exercise gives you a chance to reflect on how change has been beneficial to you in the past in order to give you more confidence in your ability to embrace it moving forward.  Introducing Your Change Aid Exercise What It Is A 10-15 minute opportunity to embrace the uncertainty of change. Why We Love It  It's often really easy to assume that the situation you are in right now is fixed. That things shouldn't change and that you won't benefit from change. This exercise helps us recognize the simple ways we've endured change in our lives and reminds us that, in many cases, change can bring us possibilities we never even imagined.  How It Works 1.  Take 5 minutes at the beginning of your day tomorrow and reflect on this question: - What’s something you’ve let go of that once meant the world to you?  - Why was this particular thing so important to you at that point in your life? - What's different in your life now that you no longer place as much importance on it? 2. Then, take 5 minutes and reflect on this question: - What’s something you love today that you never even knew you needed in your life? 3. Now, consider something that might be changing in your life right now. Imagine yourself a few years down the road after the change has occurred. - What might be different in your life at that point? - How might you be more empowered in a new or different way than you are right now? - What kinds of opportunities might have opened up for you as a result of this change? Want to dig deeper into this topic? For some tips on how to be more comfortable with change, read this from Entrepreneur.  For an overview on how to overcome the fear often associated with change, read this. To learn more about why change is important for organizations to thrive, read this from Inc. Have a favorite trek?  Hit us up at treks@lifetrekkers.me and tell us which one you liked and what you learned! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "Listen Up was one of my favorite treks. It helped me rethink how I engage in conversations and understand what it really takes to actively listen." - Shankar Desai, Group Manager @ Google Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@lifetrekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

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Perfection Pruning This week’s trek is inspired by the work of clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen. In her work she discusses a common myth that many people with social anxiety believe - that they 'have to perform perfectly" in social situations.  Are there certain situations in which you feel the need to be perfect? From trying to seem like you have it all together to obsessing about keeping an awkward conversation going, perfectionism can manifest in sneaky ways. However, Hendriksen argues that when you evaluate the validity of your perfection-focused beliefs, it's possible to see that they might not hold as much weight as you thought. Furthermore, when you are able to let those beliefs go, you will likely feel less pressure to perform and therefore act more naturally, which will result in a better response from others. Introducing Your Perfection Pruning Exercise What It Is A 5-10 minute exercise that helps you examine your perfectionist tendencies and gauge whether you are holding yourself to standards that leave little room for being human. Why We Love It  When you have a high bar at work, it can sometimes be hard to separate out when that quest for quality might be seeping over into the rest of your life. This exercise helps you examine some perfectionist tendencies that can show up in social interactions so you can determine what is useful and what might be producing unneeded anxiety.  How It Works 1.  Review the following list of perfectionist beliefs, thoughts, and assumptions, courtesy of Hendriksen. Pick one from the list that really hits home for you when you are in social situations - one that mirrors your own self-talk.  I have to sound interesting so people don’t think I’m boring. If I do anything offensive people will get mad. I have to be cool and funny and confident at all times. I am responsible for carrying the conversation. There can never be an awkward silence. I can’t say anything wrong or I’ll look stupid. I have to speak smoothly and not trip over my words. I have to make everyone laugh. I can’t make any mistakes or they’ll think I’m incompetent. I must always sound intelligent. People must always think I have everything together. I should always have something interesting to say. There should never be gaps or silences in conversation. I am responsible for keeping my conversation partner interested at all times. I have to be entertaining. I have to make a good impression. I must connect with everyone. People need to like me. 2. Then, imagine you are talking to a child and consider whether you would dish out this kind of advice to him/her. For example would you tell a kid, "Listen, you don't want people to think you are boring, so it's important to sound interesting all the time." 3. Assuming your answer to #2 was, "Heck, no, I would never say that to a kid," take a minute and ask yourself what kind of advice you would give that same kid on the topic. For example, you might say, "Not everyone is interested in the same things and that is ok. Just be yourself."  4.  Now, take the advice you'd give that kiddo and give it to yourself next time you're in a social situation.  Source: Ellen Hendriksen Want to dig deeper into this topic? To hear from Ta-Nehisi Coates about why perfectionism can paralyze you, read this. For Joseph Campbell's take on the relationship between perfectionism and love, read this from Brain Pickings. For a balanced view of the healthy and unhealthy aspects of perfectionism, read this from Inc. Have a favorite trek?  Hit us up at treks@lifetrekkers.me and tell us which one you liked and what you learned! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "The Wake-up Call trek really hit home for me. My best days are the ones when I avoid email until as late as possible and this reminded me to stay mindful. It's key to make sure I get grounded first so I can give important things the attention they deserve." - Vijay Rajendran, Director, BBVA New Ventures Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@lifetrekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

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Mistake Maximizer This week’s trek is inspired by the work of Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. In their book, Designing Your Life, they focus on the importance of reframing your failures to gain new insight into how you can improve your performance.  Does the thought of making a mistake make you want to run and hide? When you mess up on a presentation, miss a friend's birthday, or tank a meeting it's often tempting to just forget about the mistake and assume you'll get it right next time. While that approach can be effective at times, it can also completely stagnate your ability to learn from your mishaps and find opportunities for growth.  Introducing Your Mistake Maximizer Exercise What It Is A 5-10 minute exercise that helps you assess your mistakes or failures, extract insights for new learning, and create a better approach for next time. Why We Love It  It isn't fun to rehash situations where we didn't put our best foot forward. This exercise provides an easy way to categorize your mess-ups so you only spend precious energy fixing areas that are truly worth the investment. How It Works 1. Set aside 5-10 minutes to reflect on some of your most recent mess-ups. As you reflect on each, list them out in the first column of this doc. 2. Once you've listed them, categorize each into one of three buckets: A. Screwups: These are "simple mistakes" that don't normally trip you up. There isn't a major learning opportunity here because you usually get it right; you just happened to mess up. Example: I interrupted a client in a meeting which I almost never do. I owned up to it and am not worried it'll become a habit. B. Weaknesses: These are "mistakes you make over and over that you try to avoid doing, but they happen." You've accepted that they're a part of who you are and you have worked on managing them. Example: I procrastinated again and had to work all night to meet a deadline. This is just how I work and, while it's not ideal, there isn't more to learn here. C. Growth Opportunities: These are "mistakes that don't need to happen next time because the cause is identifiable and a fix is available." More specifically, these failures offer a true opportunity for growth. Example: I was surprised to learn that a client I know well and have worked with for years wasn't happy with a deliverable. When I take a step back, I can see that I didn't manage client expectations well. 3. Take a few minutes to examine the items in C above. Ask yourself: - Where might there be room for improvement? - How might the circumstances surrounding this error require me to see things in a new way? - What went wrong and what could I do differently next time?  4. Review your responses in 3 above and develop an insight about what you could have done differently to get to a better result. Then, try that out next time you're in a similar situation and note how things went.  Source: Designing Your Life Want to dig deeper into this topic? To read about how Coke, Amazon, and Netflix promote learning from failure, read this from HBR. To read about four great lessons failure can bring, check this out from Inc. For tips from top athletes on how to use failure as an opportunity, read this from Entrepreneur. Have a favorite trek?  Hit us up at treks@lifetrekkers.me and tell us which one you liked and what you learned! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "The What's Your Tutu? exercise couldn't have come at a better time. I've always had a hard time showing emotion in romantic relationships, so it's helpful for me to to check in with these questions after a date."  – Beebe Xia, Copywriter and Single Lady Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@lifetrekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.