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Awestruck This week’s trek is inspired by UC Berkeley Professor Dacher Keltner's research on the biological effects of awe. His research has shown that regular experiences of awe and reverence are beneficial beyond making us feel warm and fuzzy. You know that moment when you feel goosebumps coming on because you are witnessing something totally amazing? Moments like that leave us feeling boundless, expansive and appreciative of life's abundant beauty. In fact, experiencing awe can have a positive influence on your overall health and life expectancy. In addition, science has shown that brief moments of awe "lead people to be more altruistic, less entitled, more humble and aware of the strengths of others, and less stressed by the challenges of daily living." Introducing Your Awestruck Exercise What It Is A 15-minute moment to infuse your week with a little bit of awe and maybe even some goosebumps. Why We Love It  When you've got a lot on your plate and you're constantly optimizing for productivity you sometimes lose opportunities to find moments that make you feel bigger than yourself. This exercise provides an easy way to bring more awe to your week. How It Works 1. Find a space at your office or near your home that has a little bit of nature going on and schedule 15 minutes to chill out in that area. Once you get there, find a spot to sit and come to your breath by taking a few inhalations and exhalations with about six counts allocated to each. 2. Notice your feet on the ground and the sounds that surround you. Shift your awareness to notice things that surprise and delight, feel vast, or might be a bit unexpected. 3. Take a minute to indulge your senses in one of those things you noticed in #2. What sensations arise for you? What do you hear, see, and feel? For some that might be the soft roll of footsteps or birds chirping by. For others it could be noticing small patterns on a leaf or nearby tree. 4. Shift your focus back to your breath and take a few more inhalations and exhalations on a count of six. Allow any emotions or feelings that surfaced to move through your body. Ask yourself: - What emotions or sensations showed up for me during this exercise? - How might I carry this sense of awe and wonder throughout my day? Source: Mindful.org Want to dig deeper into this topic? To learn more about how cultivating a sense of wonder makes for better leaders, read this from Thrive. For an overview of the findings of Keltner's research, watch this YouTube video. For more tips on how to spark a sense of wonder, check this out. For a deep dive on what makes awe such a powerful emotion, watch this from Keltner. 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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Baggage Check This week’s trek is inspired by Susan David's book, Emotional Agility. In her book she discusses our tendency to "look at the world through the lens of our personal past," which can prevent us from seeing current situations clearly. Are your current fights really yours or do they better relate to your past? We all have behavior patterns that we repeat without giving them much thought. Sometimes, though, these patterns will sneak up on us and bring excess baggage to a current relationship that doesn't accurately reflect what's going on today. Introducing Your Baggage Check Exercise What It Is A 15-minute gut check to make sure the beef you have in your current relationship reflects a real conflict and not just baggage from your past. Why We Love It  Sometimes the things that bother us most in our current relationships have nothing to do with our current partners. We take an issue from the past and assume the same thing is going on in the present without any evidence of it's pertinence. This exercise provides an opportunity to rethink our patterns to see if they're still relevant to the present day. How It Works 1. Recall a recent tiff you had with a friend or partner. Take a minute to jot down what specifically bothered you, how you felt, and what you did as a result. 2. As you think through these details ask yourself if you are responding to something that is really present in your relationship today or if you are responding to the conditions of a previous relationship. For example, if you snapped at your partner about not listening to you, did it come from a place of you truly not feeling heard in your relationship or was it because you haven't felt heard in a past relationships? 3. If the issue does exist today, address it with your partner by speaking about the conflict from your perspective and give them a chance to also speak about it from theirs. As you approach the conversation, give some of these tips a go. 4. If you suspect the issue is from your past, take time to notice your behaviors around it. What are you assuming is happening and how does that make you feel? What specifically is your partner doing that might be triggering you? What behaviors are you displaying as a result? 5. Then, consider whether your behaviors in #4 are still beneficial to you. If they aren't, how might you respond differently next time?  Source: Emotional Agility Want to dig deeper into this topic? To learn more about Emotional Agility, read this from HBR. For some quick tips on how to clear away emotional baggage, read this. For some great tips on how to talk about conflict with a partner, read this from HuffPo. Shout. It. Out. To Annie Watson for inspiring this exercise!! Shout. It. Back. To treks@lifetrekkers.me to let us know which treks you like best! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "Inspiration Reservoir was one of my favorite treks. It helped me understand the many sources of inspiration (many of which are in my own backyard) that I can draw upon when needing to unlock the right side of my brain." -Liz Tverskoy, Account 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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Cheat Sheet This week’s trek is inspired by the Feynman Technique. Developed by Nobel winning physicist, Richard Feynman, this technique helps you simplify concepts so anyone can understand them. You know that moment when you're trying to explain something and all you get in response is a bunch of blank stares? These situations are often followed by a lot of frantic questions and disapproving looks as people try to sort out what the heck you're trying to say. Working out your thoughts in this fashion isn't always a bad thing but in high pressure situations when you know you've got short attention spans to cater to, you have to find a way to make your point as easy to digest as possible.  Introducing Your Cheat Sheet Exercise What It Is A 30-minute gut check to make sure you actually know what the heck you're talking about before a big presentation or meeting. Why We Love It  Sometimes you think you know a topic well and then you find yourself unable to make a single coherent point when you are asked to explain it to others. This exercise forces you to distill a concept into its simplest form - via a good old cheat sheet - to make sure you really know what you are talking about before presenting it to others. How It Works 1. Identify a concept you need to explain and really understand. This could be an issue you want your boss to take note of, a customer insight you want your team to absorb, or an idea you need to present at a big meeting. 2. Take 30 minutes and grab a piece of paper and put the name of your concept at the top. Then, imagine that you are creating a cheat sheet for an eight-year-old on this topic. Using plain language (no business jargon) define the concept, draw specific aspects out, and provide examples of your concept in practice.  3. As you write everything out, note any areas that tripped you up or that you were shaky on. Then, spend a few minutes reviewing your notes or sources on each of those areas to make sure your understanding is solid. 4. Next, review your cheat sheet once again and circle any jargon or complicated terms. Force yourself to rework those sections by incorporating simple language that a kid would relate to.  5. Finally, go back to the slides or talking points you had planned for your meeting and see how they compare to your cheat sheet. Look for places to simplify and rework accordingly.  Source: Farnam Street Want to dig deeper into this topic? To learn more about how to simplify pretty much anything, read this from Inc. To learn about why simplicity is often found by working through complexity, watch this TED talk by ecologist Eric Berlow. For a quick read on how to simplify your points for a presentation, read this from FastCo. 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.