Three things to ponder this week:

LinkedIn Anxiety

Yesterday, I saw this post on Instagram about how LinkendIn causes intense comparisonitis and anxiety. This could be a pot and kettle situation, but I confess I instantly related to the observation because I have long felt self-conscious showing up on LinkedIn.

To me, Instagram feels more creative and less serious, while LinkedIn feels like a pissing match of promotions. This is, of course, filtered through my own personal lens. LinkedIn itself isn't the problem, it's how people treat it. But it got me thinking about the purpose of showing up there, or any platform for that matter, and the intention behind it. One of my recent personal aspirations has been to put things into the world that I would want to see. So why can't that happen on LinkedIn? I'm curious if you've also felt LinkedIn anxiety? How do you approach showing up and sharing when it's laced with self-consciousness?

Reciprocal vs Personal Values

The V word: Values. It's tossed around all the time as something we should know and be using. But I often think we lack a real understanding of what a value is and how it can be applied - practically - to our lives.

The most tangible framework for understanding values is one I came across when I took my YouMap assessment 3 years ago. Simply put, there are two types of values.

1. Personal Values - things that are important to us, but that we don't expect other people to share.
2. Reciprocal Values - things we need and expect to be reciprocated by another person, or organization.

Examples help illustrate this:

1. You might hold a personal value of "beauty" - maybe you love designing your home, or collecting art, or putting together an outfit. But you don't expect others to value beauty the same way you do, or even value it at all. It's something that is important to you, but it's OK if it's not important to someone else.
2. By contrast, one of your reciprocal values might be "respect" - you approach your relationships and work with a deep level of respect, and you expect that back from your friends, family, colleagues and employer. When you don't feel respected, it can lead to problems.

We often experience deep misalignment when there is a misalignment in our reciprocal values. So it's important to know the difference.

I'm curious if this distinction helps you better diagnose a problem you've had at work or home?

Podcast: Windowsill Chats

This is my favorite podcast lately. It features interviews with working creatives and artists about their journeys and practices. The host, Margo, has a lovely way of creating conversation and they are so easy to listen to. Some of my recent favorite episodes have been with painter Melissa Lakey, jewelry designer Rachael Skidmore, and author-illustrator Meera Lee Patel.

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

x Catherine

p.s. Career Pathfinding sessions are open for the fall. They're designed to help you reimagine the work you're doing, based on your personal strengths, values, skills and interests. If you're curious to know more and if this would be the right fit for you based on where you are in your current career journey, grab a 20 minute coffee chat with me so we can say hello and discuss. Or, feel free to reply to this email and tell me more.