Focus On What Makes You Human

Or: "The process of becoming more human"

An Introspection into Processing--and Preserving--Our Humanity

We need a reminder right now of our humanity. I never thought I'd have to say that, but I do.

The world is moving too fast. We're relinquishing our humanity in favor of speed and ease. Everything is digitized. Our shopping and news and social media feeds are all curated for us based on algorithms. Our processes are streamlined for the utmost efficiency. Now, at work, I'm a big fan of efficiency. I love finding ways to make processes work more smoothly. But my goal isn't just to move faster. My goal isn't to fit more stuff into the same space, or to do more with less. My goal is to use tools and processes to support human value-add. What can we optimize so we can add more of ourselves into our work? What can we templatize now so that in the future, we can be more creative and innovative and unique? I look for ways to teach. To enable connection. To resonate more deeply. I'm not interested in the superficial or the artificial. I'm interested in the real stuff. I'm interested in what makes us human.

And that, right now, seems to be an unpopular opinion. But I don't think the volume of the tech-forward folks should drown out the heart of the human-first community. Just because someone speaks louder or more often doesn't mean they're right, it doesn't mean they should be the ones to make decisions, and it doesn't man they're the only ones with an opinion. But it does mean we need to speak louder, to do more, to be more resonant, as we carve out ways to prove--and sustain--our humanity.

Something I've been playing around with lately is the idea of the process. There are lots of theories, opinions, and frameworks to help us evaluate and enhance the way we work, which we can examine throughout history--from the use of "division of labor" dating way back to Ancient Greece and China, through the substantial advancements made during the Industrial Revolution, to modern shifts in manufacturing and business--from the assembly line to business process improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma and the Kaizen philosophy. Even beyond business, process has been a topic of consideration across many functions: Donald M. Murray wrote a seminal piece called "Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product" back in the 1970s that has recently been recirculating among both education and writing networks. Process is interesting because it's simply the way we work. And as business is such a huge part of every economy, the way businesses optimize their work--to increase profits--becomes the main evaluation of process for each generation.

But what if we looked at process beyond work? What if we looked at process in terms of how we operate as humans?

The way we think. The way we talk. The way we make decisions. Prioritize goals. Feel emotions. I know, these sound a lot like the things psychologists study and practice, but I believe they can be accessible to everyone. These are the things that make us human, so we should be aware of them and use them to help us reach our potential. And I believe that the more in tune we are with the way we are, as humans, the more fulfilled, connected, successful, and satisfied we'll be.

Processes are present in everything we do, whether we realize it or not, so why not make them work for us? In order to make them work for us, we first have to bring them forward into our consciousness. We have to increase our awareness of what is going on in order to reflect non-judgmentally then act mindfully.

Start with a simple practice: What makes you YOU?

...okay, that wasn't exactly "simple," was it? We're so complex that boiling ourselves down to one answer is a daunting task. In other words, if that's too difficult to articulate, that's probably because it's so broad, and we're only just beginning this type of reflective work. It helps to get concrete and to deal with smaller, more digestible reflections, such as these:

• Identify your 5 core values.

• List 5 things that give you positive energy--things you LOVE to do.

• List 5 things that zap your energy--things you HATE to do.

• Come up with 5 adjectives to describe yourself.

• List your top 3-5 skills that you are good at AND you enjoy doing. These are the things you wish you could do more often.

• Choose an activity and map out how you operate. For example, how do you prefer to set up your physical environment in your home office? How do you prefer to communicate with friends--text, calls, videos, in person, etc.? How do you prefer to approach your meals for the week--do you plan on Sunday night, do you plan half and leave the rest up to chance, etc.?

• Name a goal for the upcoming month, and come up with 3-5 steps or milestones to help you achieve it.

By looking inward at the things that drive us, like our values and motivations, we can more effectively channel our unique value outward and make a positive impact that also leaves us feeling fulfilled.

As we become more aware of the things that make us human, we can use them for good. We need to be more mindful of our emotions--not just aware of what they are, but intentional about how we express them and make sense of them. We need to be more mindful of our actions--our triggers and automatic responses, the behaviors that aren't constructive, the moves we're afraid to make, the actions that yield positive results, etc. We need to be more mindful of context--our motivations, goals, past experiences, and reasons for thinking and behaving the way we do. And we need to be more mindful of the way we perceive the world around us--the meaning we assign to things and the reason we work that way, the way we make sense of and process both the situations we're in (external) and our understanding, input, and impact (internal).

Regardless of what you do for work, what tools you use, or what is going on in the world around you, understanding your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, perceptions, and context will be beneficial to you. If you can dissect the ways you understand the world around you and and the ways you contribute to it, you can make better decisions that are more aligned with your values. The search for meaningful contribution starts with us, and that means beginning with increasing our self-awareness through reflection.

These are all things that make us human. We can optimize the way we organize activities, but we can't outsource our emotions. We can't offload our humanity to technology. Our emotions, motivations, past experiences--those are uniquely ours. And we carry alllll of those things with us into every new interaction, into every new moment. That's why we need to do the work to focus on being human and to figure out how to do MORE of that. We need to think and feel things firsthand--and then we need to pause, reflect on what they mean, and choose a path forward. We need to embrace what makes us human so we can grow and become more of who we are meant to be, or who we want to be.

It's not always rainbows and butterflies, either. Being human simply isn't always nice. We suffer. We cry. We make mistakes. Often. We anger people. We hurt people. We hurt ourselves. We hinder our own growth. We get in our own way. We run in circles. We forget to move at all. Some days, we can't even think straight. Other days, thoughts are whipping through our mind so rapidly we get whiplash. It's not easy. But it's real. And that's the beauty of it.

That's what we have to embrace. That's what we have to reflect on. When do we suffer? What do we learn from it? What mistakes do we make? How will we try not to make those mistakes in the future? Life, in my opinion, is not about mindless ease. It's about learning and processing and growing. It's about being uniquely you--doing things others cannot do, or doing things in a way others cannot do them. It's not about relentless speed to the finish line, either. Every time you get a first down, the markers move out ten yards. If you only focus on the next thing to achieve, you'll never be happy. You have to think about what you can do right now. What can you embrace today? What makes you human that you can use for good? Where can you give yourself a little grace?

And it's not just a soft, abstract exercise. Reflection will yield better decision-making which will help you act in ways that are more aligned with your values and goals. If you ever feel you are making decisions at work automatically, pausing and doing some reflective work can help you take more control over your actions. If you sometimes feel yourself caught up in a whirlwind of emotions, pausing and processing your emotions can help you choose a more constructive path forward. Reflecting on what you value, what you enjoy, and your goals for the future can help you carve out a career or choose hobbies that make you feel more fulfilled. If you love writing but you don't get to do enough of it in your job, you can join a writing group or start a blog. If you love mindfulness and exercise but haven't yet found a way to combine them, you could try training to become a yoga teacher. Once you know yourself, you can make decisions that work better for you and those around you. It's a constant practice, as we are constantly changing, as is the world around us. But it starts now, and it starts with you.

What are some things you can do that no one else can do?

What are some things you can do that technology cannot replace?

Start thinking about the things that make you human, the unique value only you can add, and the things that make you feel fulfilled and engaged with both the world around you and the fire within you. As you reflect on what you do that's good and enjoyable and unique, you may uncover new ideas or perspectives or pathways you never thought of before. Embrace them. Try them out. Explore what's out there for you. Once you start reflecting, you can begin to gain clarity, both internally in terms of how you process things and externally in terms of how you behave and exist in the context of your environment.

To come full circle, even the way you do things--the processes you choose--can be more human, more unique to you. When do you have the most energy? Do you like to write notes by hand rather than typing them into a digital document? What types of foods do you like to cook? How do you prefer to learn? Even if you can't choose what you're doing, you can choose how you do it. For example, everyone in business has to "do strategy," but what makes your approach different from others? What combination of skills and interests do you have that make your work more well-rounded? What do you "bring to the table" that makes you an asset? What would people miss if you stopped doing it? What would you miss if you stopped doing it?

Additionally, at work, maybe your job hasn't changed, but you know what can change? Your mindset. Your skillset. Your approach. Your processes. You can read an article, take a class, or try something new. You can ask new questions to be more curious, or write up a proposal for a new program if you strive to take more initiative. If you're unhappy with the way your video calls proceed, try changing the way you operate--you could set the agenda, or you could try facilitating a call one time. Or if you don't feel present working behind a screen in a remote environment, try taking a call while on a walk, or try writing your notes in a physical notebook next time. Test new processes, reflect, enhance your self-awareness, and make choices that lead to actions that make you feel more fulfilled, more engaged, more alive.

More human.

THAT, after all, is the ultimate goal.