Hey everybody,
Here’s another batch of actionable insights to start your week off right, so you can be more intentional with how you live, work, and create.
Let’s get started.
Insight 1: Practice what you preach
One of the common issues my coaching clients come to me with is overcoming the fear of being vulnerable.
Most of the people I work with are founders, creators, and entrepreneurs. And many of them want to tell their story—either as a form of self-expression or to tell their brand narrative and position their company as a trusted authority in their niche.
But fear of ridicule and avoiding the discomfort of feeling vulnerable are their biggest obstacles.
Last month, I had an opportunity to write a vulnerable piece about my own life and growing up through domestic violence.
I decided to publish it and put my story out there.
Not because I like feeling vulnerable, but because I wanted to show my clients 1) that I practice what I preach, and 2) we all have a responsibility to share our story with the world.
Because you never know how your story can help someone else.
To make them feel heard. To validate their experiences. To help them feel connected with you.
So if you’re curious about my foray into vulnerability, check out this article and let me know if it resonated with you:
What to Do When You Feel Like a Victim: Untangling a Lifetime of Anger and Fear
Insight 2: Abandon what doesn’t serve you
In business, and life, evolution is the key to continued survival.
It’s easy to say no to opportunities that are clearly bad for us or move us away from achieving our goals.
But what about the things that used to serve us well, but have slowly started pulling us down over time?
Things like workflows that served us in the past, but have become inefficient as we’ve grown and our processes have become more elaborate?
One question Peter Drucker asks is:
“If we did not already do this, would we go into it now?”
This is a great question to quickly identify the things that no longer serve us: processes, people, and other practices we could easily cling onto forever like an anchor slowly pulling us down into the abyss.
If you want more ways to apply this question to your life, here’s a quick article:
Peter Drucker’s Question for Eliminating Practices That No Longer Serve You
Insight 3: Read deeply, not quickly
How fast do you listen to audiobooks? 1x speed? 2x? 3x?
In one of his latest essays, David Perell explores why, even though many of us feel a pressure to consume information faster, it doesn’t mean we’re learning faster.
“The problem is that shoving information into your mind can create the illusion of knowledge, especially when you rush it. True learning requires contemplation. And implementation. And a commitment to reflecting on great ideas over and over again.”
My favorite takeaway was his perspective on why the traditional education system never served its intended function: to help us learn.
Instead, we’re force-fed trivial information and required to regurgitate it.
But, as David says, “Trivia is an ignorant person’s idea of what knowledge looks like.”
Read the full article here:
Question for the Week
What one habit or process can you abandon this week that would help you get more out of your business or life?
Insights in Action
One of the best ways to clarify your thinking is to write it out.
So if you want to develop your thinking on this question or start applying insights from today’s newsletter, send a tweet to @CoreyWilksPsyD with your thoughts and put #BuildingBlocks at the end so I can find it.
Not ready to “think in public” yet? No problem. You can also reply to this email if you want to share your thoughts with me.
Until next time—memento mori,
Corey Wilks, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Certified Professional Coach
Building https://coreywilkspsyd.com/
