# Your journey as a changemaker - with Practical Exercises

This guide is designed to be a deep, reflective journey. True, sustainable change in the world begins with a profound understanding of the person driving it: **you**.

This is not a checklist to be completed, but a continuous process of discovery, skill-building, and self-care. Use these sections as waypoints on your path.

**Be patient with yourself.**

The most powerful tool you have is free and always with you: a commitment to honest self-reflection.

## **Know Thyself — The Inner Foundation**

Before you can change the world, you must understand your own inner landscape. Your motivations, biases, strengths, and fears are the engine and the operating system for all your future work.

### **Discover Your Archetype (Based on work by C.G. Jung)**

Archetypes are universal patterns and images that help us understand our innate tendencies and the stories we live by. Are you the Sage, driven by knowledge? The Hero, driven to overcome challenges? The Rebel, driven to overturn broken systems? Understanding your dominant archetype provides a powerful lens through which to view your motivations.

**Action:** Explore your archetype using these resources:
- to validate: [Gemini Conversation on Archetypes](https://g.co/gemini/share/26f09434e3a7)
- to validate: [Jilecek Archetype Test](https://archetypes.jilecek.cz/)
- [Gemini on Changemaker Archetypes](https://gemini.google.com/share/012a605efe4a)

**Archetype Integration:**
After discovering your primary archetype, spend 20 minutes writing about:
1. How does this archetype show up in your daily life?
2. What are the shadow aspects (potential negatives) of this archetype?
3. Which secondary archetype do you feel drawn to, and how might it balance your primary one?
4. Name one specific way you can leverage your archetype strength this week.

### **Conduct a Biographical Inventory**

Your past holds the key to your purpose. This is a deep, reflective exercise to map out the significant events, relationships, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped you.

**Action (Free Tool: A Diary or Journal):** Set aside a few hours. Write your life story. Don't just list events; explore them. Ask yourself:
- What were the major turning points?
- What were my proudest moments? Why?
- What were my biggest failures or challenges? What did I learn from them?
- Who are the 5 people who have influenced me the most? How?
- What themes or patterns keep recurring in my life?

**Pattern Recognition:**
After completing your biographical inventory:
1. Create a simple timeline of your major life events
2. Mark each event with an emotion (joy, fear, anger, sadness, excitement)
3. Look for patterns: What types of situations consistently energize you? What consistently drains you?
4. Identify your "origin story" - the earliest memory that connects to why you want to create change
5. Write one paragraph connecting your past patterns to your current changemaking desires

### **Understand Your Personality Profile: The Big 5**

The Big Five (or OCEAN model) is one of the most scientifically validated models of personality. Understanding where you fall on these five spectrums can reveal your natural work style, collaboration preferences, and potential blind spots.

- **O**penness to Experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)
- **C**onscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless)
- **E**xtraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
- **A**greeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/detached)
- **N**euroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident)

**Action:** Take a free online Big 5 test. Reflect on your results. How does your profile support your changemaking goals? Where might it present challenges?

* https://bigfive-test.com/

**Personality Application:**
1. For each of the Big 5 dimensions, rate yourself 1-10
2. For your three highest scores: Write how this strength helps your changemaking work
3. For your two lowest scores: Identify one specific strategy to work with (not against) this trait
4. Find one person in your network who complements your personality profile - someone strong where you're weaker
5. Plan one collaboration with this person in the next month

### **Define Your Core Values**

Your values are your non-negotiable guiding principles. When your actions align with your values, you feel authentic and energized. When they don't, you feel stressed and conflicted.

**Action (Free Tool: Pen and Paper):** Search for a list of "core values" online. Circle every word that resonates with you. Then, group them by theme until you have identified your top 5-7 values (e.g., Justice, Compassion, Integrity, Creativity, Growth).

Write them down and if you want, place them somewhere you will see them daily.

**Values in Action:**
1. For each of your top 5 values, write a specific example of when you felt most alive living that value
2. Identify one current area of your life where you feel a values conflict
3. Create a simple "values decision framework" - three questions you'll ask before making important choices
4. Schedule a weekly 10-minute "values check-in" to assess how well you lived your values that week

---

## **Embody the Change — From Action to Being**

### **Shift from Changemaker to Change-Conduit**

The identity of "changemaker" can create pressure and ego. A more sustainable identity is that of a "change-conduit". You are not forcing change, but **partnering with emergence.**

**Reflection:** Ask: *What does this situation want to become? How can I serve the potential already here?*

**Change-Conduit Practice:**
1. Choose one current challenge you're facing
2. Spend 5 minutes writing from the ego-driven "changemaker" perspective: What needs fixing? What would you force to happen?
3. Spend 5 minutes writing from the "change-conduit" perspective: What wants to emerge? What's already trying to happen?
4. Compare the two approaches - notice differences in energy, creativity, and sustainability
5. Practice asking "What wants to emerge here?" in three different situations this week

### **Cultivate a Planetary Perspective**

Zoom out. Your work is one vital thread in a global tapestry.

**Action:** Spend 5 minutes looking at Earth from space.
- e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLpJsLjrwnQ

Hold your topic in mind. Feel its place in the whole.

**Zooming Out and In:**
1. Watch the Earth from space video while thinking about your changemaking focus
2. Write for 3 minutes about how your work connects to the planetary scale
3. Now "zoom in" - write for 3 minutes about how your work affects one specific person
4. Create a simple "scale ladder" showing connections: You → Community → Region → Nation → Planet
5. Identify one way to make your work more connected to each scale level

### **Practice Deep Listening**

Listen—to people, to opponents, to nature, and to your own intuition. Often, solutions are waiting in the silence.

**Deep Listening Challenge:**
1. **People:** Have one conversation this week where you speak less than 30% of the time. Notice what you discover.
2. **Opponents:** Identify someone who disagrees with your approach. Spend 15 minutes trying to genuinely understand their perspective. What valid points do they make?
3. **Nature:** Spend 20 minutes outside without devices. What does the natural world seem to be communicating?
4. **Intuition:** Before making your next important decision, sit quietly for 10 minutes. What does your gut tell you before your mind takes over?
5. Keep a "Deep Listening Log" - one insight per day from intentional listening

### Practical Guide to Recognizing and Developing Good-Faith and Bad-Faith Communication Based on Daniel Schmachtenberger's Principles

#### Introduction

The quality of communication determines the health of our relationships, communities, and societies. According to Daniel Schmachtenberger's thinking, good-faith dialogue is based on shared truth-seeking and connection, while bad-faith communication often revolves around self-justification, manipulation, or dominance. This guide helps you consciously recognize which mode you're in and how to develop the capacity for good-faith communication.

#### 1. Developing Awareness of Intent

Before you speak, pause for a moment. Ask yourself:
* "Do I want to connect now, or prove I'm right?"
* "Am I seeking understanding, or do I want to dominate?"

**Example:** If a colleague makes a mistake, you could say: *"This turned out wrong again"* (bad-faith), or: *"I'd like to understand what led to this decision"* (good-faith).

#### 2. Active Listening and Steel-Manning

Give full attention to the other person. Reflect back: *"Do I understand correctly that you think...?"*

Try to formulate the strongest version of the other person's argument (steel-manning). **Example:** If someone complains about too many meetings, don't trivialize it, but say: *"I hear that you feel the many meetings are taking time away from your actual work."*

#### 3. Open Questions and Clear Language Use

Avoid labeling and generalizing ("You always..."). Instead, own your feelings: *"I'm feeling tense right now."* Ask: *"What led to this perspective?"* or *"How do you see this?"*

#### 4. Self-Reflection and Emotional Awareness

When you feel strong emotions (anger, shame, hurt), take a pause. Notice: what is the underlying feeling, and what need do you have? **Example:** *"I got angry because it's important to me that my work be recognized."*

#### 5. Recognizing Signs of Bad Faith

Watch for these in yourself and others:
* Attack or defensiveness?
* Labeling ("you're lazy") or dehumanization?
* Only proving "I'm right"?

In such cases, signal: *"Maybe we need a break or clarification right now."*

#### 6. Practical Repetition

Start with short conversations where you only practice active listening. Ask for feedback: *"Did you feel that I was paying attention to you?"* If you make mistakes, own them: *"I'm sorry, I reacted dismissively, that wasn't my intention."*

#### 7. Sustained Development

* Reflect after arguments: where were you good-faith or bad-faith?
* Form a practice group with friends or colleagues where you practice steel-manning, active listening, and clear language.

**Example:** In a weekly meeting, everyone shares a situation where they practiced good faith, then together you look for lessons learned.

**Sources:** civilizationemerging.com, consilienceproject.org, Daniel Schmachtenberger interviews and articles.

---

## **Sharpen Your Tools — Developing Essential Skills**

Self-awareness is the foundation, but skills are the tools you use to build a better world. These are the human-centric skills that allow you to navigate complex systems and relationships effectively.

### **Develop Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ)**

EQ is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and to recognize and influence the emotions of others. It is arguably the single most important skill for a changemaker. It consists of:

1. **Self-Awareness:** Knowing your emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior.
2. **Self-Regulation:** Controlling impulsive feelings and behaviors, managing your emotions in healthy ways.
3. **Motivation:** A passion for your work that goes beyond money or status.
4. **Empathy:** Understanding the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people.
5. **Social Skills:** Managing relationships, building networks, and finding common ground.

**Action (Free Tool: The 3-Second Pause):** The next time you feel a strong negative emotion (anger, frustration), pause for three full seconds before you speak or act. In that pause, name the emotion to yourself. This simple act builds both self-awareness and self-regulation.

**EQ Development Plan:**
1. **Self-Awareness:** Keep an "emotion log" for one week. Every two hours, note: What am I feeling right now? What triggered it?
2. **Self-Regulation:** Practice the "STOP" method - Stop, Take a breath, Observe what's happening inside you, Proceed with intention. Use it 3 times this week.
3. **Motivation:** Write your personal "why" in one sentence. Read it every morning for a week.
4. **Empathy:** Before your next difficult conversation, spend 2 minutes imagining what the other person might be feeling and why.
5. **Social Skills:** Practice giving one genuine compliment per day. Notice how it affects your relationships.

### **Understand Your Conflict Profile**

Conflict is inevitable in any meaningful work. How you handle it determines your success. The Thomas-Kilmann model outlines five common styles: Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding, and Accommodating.

**Action:** Read about the five conflict modes. In your journal, reflect on a recent disagreement. Which style did you default to? What might have been a more effective style for that situation? The goal is not to have one "best" style, but to be able to flexibly choose the right style for the right situation.

**Conflict Style Flexibility:**
1. Identify your default conflict style by thinking of your last 5 disagreements
2. For each of the 5 Thomas-Kilmann styles, write a scenario where that style would be most effective
3. Choose one non-default style to practice this week in a low-stakes situation
4. Create a simple "conflict decision tree": High stakes + Time pressure = Competing; High stakes + Time available = Collaborating, etc.
5. After your next conflict, journal about what you learned and what you'd do differently

### **Practice Assertiveness**

Assertiveness is the healthy midpoint between passivity (allowing others to violate your boundaries) and aggression (violating the boundaries of others). It is about expressing your needs, feelings, and beliefs clearly and respectfully.

**Action (Free Tool: Sentence Stems):** Practice framing your needs using this structure: *"I feel [your emotion] when [the specific behavior]. I need [your specific, actionable request]."* For example: *"I feel overwhelmed when meetings run late. I need us to stick to the agreed-upon end time."* Rehearse this with a trusted friend.

**Assertiveness Ladder:**
1. **Week 1:** Practice saying "no" to one small request that doesn't align with your priorities
2. **Week 2:** Use the "I feel/when/I need" structure in one conversation
3. **Week 3:** Express a different opinion in a group setting respectfully
4. **Week 4:** Ask for something you need from someone in authority
5. Track your comfort level (1-10) and results for each assertiveness practice

---

## **Define Your Path — From Insight to Action**

With a deeper understanding of yourself and a sharper set of tools, it's time to channel your energy with focus and clarity.

### **Codify Your Principles (Inspired by Ray Dalio's *Principles You*)**

Your principles are your personal "operating system." They are the bridge between your values and your actions. They are clear, actionable rules you create for yourself based on your experiences, successes, and failures.

**Action (Free Tool: A "Principles" Document):** Start a new document in a notebook or on your computer. Title it "My Principles." Begin writing down rules for life that you've learned. Examples could be: *"Assume good intentions, but don't be naive."* or *"Listen more than I speak."* or *"Prioritize long-term impact over short-term recognition."* This is a living document that you will add to for the rest of your life.

**Principles in Practice:**
1. Start with 3-5 principles that feel most important to you right now
2. For each principle, write a story of when following it led to a good outcome
3. Identify one principle you struggle to follow consistently - what gets in the way?
4. Create a simple "principle reminder system" (phone wallpaper, sticky notes, etc.)
5. Review and add to your principles monthly - what new lessons have you learned?

### **Craft Your Mission Statement**

Your mission is your "why," "what," and "for whom" distilled into a single, powerful statement. It provides clarity and direction, especially when you face difficult decisions.

**Action:** Use the following template to create a first draft:
My mission is to **[Your Action Verb: e.g., create, empower, build, connect]**
for **[Your Target Group: e.g., underserved youth, local ecosystems, isolated seniors]**
so that **[The Desired Outcome/Impact: e.g., they can reach their full potential, our community can thrive sustainably].**

**Mission Statement Refinement:**
1. Write 5 different versions of your mission statement using the template
2. Test each version: Does it make you feel energized when you read it?
3. Share your top 2 versions with someone you trust - which resonates more with them?
4. Create a "mission test" - for every major decision, ask "Does this align with my mission?"
5. Schedule quarterly mission reviews - is your mission evolving as you grow?

### **Set Intentional Goals**

Break your grand mission into concrete, actionable steps. Use frameworks like **SMART** (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) or **OKR** (Objectives and Key Results) to ensure you're making tangible progress.

**Action:** Define one objective for the next 3 months that moves you closer to your mission. Then, list 3-4 measurable key results that would prove you've achieved it.

**Goal Architecture:**
1. **10-Year Vision:** Write one paragraph describing your changemaking impact in 10 years
2. **3-Year Milestones:** What 3 major milestones will you hit on the way to that vision?
3. **1-Year Objectives:** What 2-3 objectives will you achieve this year?
4. **Quarterly OKRs:** Break this year's objectives into quarterly OKRs
5. **Monthly Check-ins:** Schedule monthly reviews of progress and course corrections
6. **Weekly Actions:** Every Sunday, identify 3 actions for the upcoming week that advance your quarterly OKRs

---

## **Build Your Resilience — Sustaining the Journey**

Changemaking is a marathon, not a sprint. Burnout is the single greatest threat to your long-term impact. Building resilience is not a luxury; it is a strategic necessity.

### **Embrace Reflective Journaling**

Your diary is more than a record; it's a processing tool. Use it to build resilience.

**Action (Free Tool: Daily Journaling):** Try these practices:
- **Gratitude Log:** At the end of each day, write down three specific things you are grateful for. This retrains your brain to see the positive.
- **Failure Resume:** Keep a running list of your "failures" and what you learned from each. This destigmatizes setbacks and frames them as learning opportunities.
- **Small Wins:** Document every small victory. When you feel discouraged, read this list to remember the progress you've made.

**Structured Reflection:**

**Daily (5 minutes):**
- 3 gratitudes
- 1 small win
- 1 lesson learned
- Tomorrow's most important task

**Weekly (15 minutes):**
- What drained my energy this week?
- What gave me energy this week?
- What pattern do I notice in my reactions?
- What one thing will I do differently next week?

**Monthly (30 minutes):**
- Update your failure resume
- Celebrate progress toward your goals
- Identify one area for growth
- Plan one self-care activity for next month

### **Develop a Mindfulness Practice**

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. It reduces stress, improves focus, and prevents you from being hijacked by your emotions.

**Action (Free Tool: Your Breath):** Try "Box Breathing." Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds. Repeat for 2-3 minutes. Use free versions of apps like Insight Timer or Calm for guided meditations.

**Mindfulness Integration:**
1. **Week 1:** Practice box breathing for 3 minutes every morning
2. **Week 2:** Add a "mindful moment" before each meal - 30 seconds of full attention to your food
3. **Week 3:** Practice "mindful listening" in one conversation per day - complete attention to the speaker
4. **Week 4:** Take one "mindful walk" per day - 10 minutes focusing on sensations, sounds, sights
5. Track your stress levels (1-10) daily to notice the impact of mindfulness practice

### **Curate Your Personal Board of Directors**

No one succeeds alone. Intentionally cultivate a small group of trusted advisors who can support you in different ways.

**Action:** Identify people in your life (or people you want to connect with) who can fill these roles:
- **The Mentor:** Someone who has been where you want to go.
- **The Peer:** A fellow changemaker who understands your daily struggles.
- **The Challenger:** Someone who respects you enough to disagree with you and poke holes in your logic.
- **The Cheerleader:** Someone who believes in you unconditionally.

**Board Development:**
1. **Mapping:** Create a visual map of your current support network. Where are the gaps?
2. **Outreach Plan:** Identify 2-3 people you'd like to connect with for each missing role
3. **Value First:** Before reaching out, identify how you can provide value to them
4. **Regular Connection:** Schedule quarterly check-ins with each board member
5. **Reciprocity:** Actively look for ways to serve as a board member for others

### **Energy Management**

**Identify Your Energy Patterns**
Understanding when you're naturally energized helps you schedule your most important work during peak times.

**Exercise - Energy Audit:**
1. For one week, rate your energy level (1-10) every 2 hours while awake
2. Note what activities, people, and environments preceded your highest energy ratings
3. Note what preceded your lowest energy ratings
4. Identify your daily energy peak and energy valley times
5. Redesign your schedule to do your most important changemaking work during peak times

**Create Energy Boundaries**
Protecting your energy is protecting your ability to create change.

**Exercise - Boundary Setting:**
1. List the top 5 activities/people that consistently drain your energy
2. For each energy drain, create one specific boundary (time limits, saying no, etc.)
3. List the top 5 activities/people that consistently give you energy
4. Schedule more time with your energy sources
5. Practice saying: "I need to think about that and get back to you" when asked to commit to potential energy drains

---

## **Building Your Changemaker Community**

### **Find Your Tribe**

Sustainable change requires community support and collective action.

**Exercise - Community Mapping:**
1. Identify 3 online communities related to your changemaking focus
2. Join one and actively participate for a month
3. Attend one local meetup or event related to your cause
4. Start one small gathering (even 3-4 people) around your area of interest
5. Create a simple way to stay connected with like-minded people you meet

### **Practice Storytelling**

Your ability to communicate your vision compellingly determines your ability to inspire others and create change.

**Exercise - Story Development:**
1. **Personal Story:** Craft a 2-minute version of why you care about your cause
2. **Vision Story:** Create a compelling picture of the world you're working to create
3. **Success Story:** Develop examples of progress/wins (however small) to share
4. **Practice:** Share each story with 3 different people and get feedback
5. **Refine:** Based on feedback, create one powerful 5-minute presentation about your work

---

Your journey as a changemaker is the most important project you will ever undertake. It is a dual path of transforming the world around you and, in the process, transforming yourself. Be patient, be persistent, and most of all, be kind to yourself along the way.

**Remember:** These exercises are invitations, not obligations.

Choose the ones that resonate most with where you are in your journey right now. You can always return to others later as you continue to grow and evolve as a changemaker.