How to be a proactive Life Hacker:
A geeks' guide to mindfulness & personal growth

All too often, people who are good at dealing with intellectual pursuits or technology feel daunted by the emotional and psychological aspects of life. Hence the image of the geek as socially inept. But this happens because geeks see emotional and psychological issues as separate and different from what they are good at.

What you need to do is to realize that you have amazingly wonderful resources to tackle these issues... if only you look at it the right way. Think of it as becoming a Life Hacker.

Let's say you have a problem with your computer (or your car). If you see the computer (or the car) as just a tool, all you want is somebody to fix the problem for you: Fix it, make it work, I don't care what you do, just do it.

On the other hand, let's say you're interested in how your computer (or your car) works. When there is a problem, you see it as an opportunity to better understand how it works. So you keep getting better at i.

You will get much more out of your life when you see problems as an opportunity to learn more about yourself.

Lasting growth comes from harnessing the spirit of exploration that helps you learn from the inside out. This is a very active, creative process. You're opening up to new perspectives, trying out new ideas, and learning from these experiments.

Experimenting means finding ways to take greater control of your life in areas where you have felt, until now, less of a sense of ease.

Control is not necessarily a defense mechanism, a resistance to change. The problem with control is when people are obsessed with control -- as when people keep trying to control things they can't control. But, otherwise, control is not inherently a dirty word. For instance, in order to become a better driver, you have to learn to better control a powerful machine.

Being emotionally and intellectually involved with the process of change puts you in the driver's seat. For instance, see: How to manage your time more efficiently.

How does this manifest in our work together?

We focus on moving forward. You learn from confronting the inevitable obstacles that come up on the road to making changes.

My role is to help you integrate and apply what you’re learning from this process. I don't hold back. I give you straightforward feedback and suggestions.

This is an experiential approach: We are not so much analyzing, as we are paying attention to what you are actually experiencing. We explore new options.

As you see that you can better manage what happens to you, a "virtuous cycle" takes effect, giving you a growing sense of ease and confidence in areas where you previously didn't.

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