Reaching across cultures

This week seems to have been a week for conversations centered around dealing with people across culture and diversity and inclusion issues.

From conversation with a friend about why it is important for leaders to understand the issue diversity and inclusion initiates seeks to address, to a seminar at work that stressed how understanding others interests, strength and weakness helps with leading and motivating them, to a talk on cross-cultural management from the CEO of a global company to a radio show that spoke about how important it is to accept others as they present themselves to us.

These ideas brought about from these conversation echoes my approach to dealing with others and reminded me that I should continue to strive to make them a staple to use when dealing with those that I know and don’t know.

Practicing the following tenets will help me better engage with others, build rewarding relationships and accomplished shared goals more productively:

·       Getting to know people and their cultures and customs

·       Importance of building authentic relationships

·       Having empathy

·       Being confidence to step out of your comfort zone to meet others yet staying authentic

·       Because someone looks like you do, does not mean they are the same as you.

When the younger you visits

I saw a picture of myself that I did not know excited, I was upright so it was around age one. I knew it was me because I felt connected to her innocents, I then noticed it was me when I saw that her features were similar to mine.

I feel that the innocent part of me still exists, and I must do everything to protect it. I felt like apologizing to her for all the decisions that resulted in bad experience, unnecessary fears and unwarranted hurts she has experience or will experience.

 I felt like I had to apologize to her for all the people that had/will take advantage of her and for those that failed to protect her.

 I then vowed to be strong for her, do my best to put her first and take chances that will let her live happily, fully and fulfill her true destiny.

New Job. Finally!!!

I am happy to announce that I started a new position with my current employer in another department. I have moved from a clerical role to a professional role now. I don't know what took me so long but better late than never. I pray that I will start thriving professional and financially now, as that hanging on by a thread feeling is not fun.

2018

As we approach the end of 2019, I am getting many prompts to look back and take stock of my accomplishments, failures, joys and sadness of 2019 and then to create a plan for what I want to accomplish in 2019.

Okay I am in but for the 2019 bit. 2018 was another difficult year for me but much less the past 6 years before it. The first half of this year was full of course corrections and endings. In this last have, I find myself in a holding pattern, reaching out for my next steps on many fronts but not being able to grab them. I guess and hope this is the rest period and it will end soon.


I am healthier than I was this time last year, my Spanish and French comprehension have improved, I finished the year-long study of ‘A Course in Miracle’ and I am capable of meditating for 20 minutes at a time (I could sit for 5mins this time last year).

I made new friends and know who I want to be regarding my relationship with others, my work and myself. I know what kind of people I want in my life.

 My favorite thing about 2018 was the unexpected role model that came into my life. Because of this person, I am a little braver, more open and my light is slipping out from under the bushel.

 

My Journey continues

My journey continues…Kind of

Though I haven’t succeeded in starting a new job and my financial health is stuck in the mud, I am excited to say that I have succeeded in other goals.

 I successfully completed my term as co-leader of the Women's Employee Group at my organization.

A year ago, I could hardly comb my hair without experience neck and shoulder pain and now I can do leg lifts and handle 12.5 pounds weights at the gym.

In September, I enrolled in a beginner’s Spanish class to be able to comprehend the usage of the verbs "Estar", and "Ser", and yesterday I completed my last class.

 I also started to review "La Langue Française" and I am very excited that my comprehension has improved.

My drive with learn Spanish and improving my French grammar has led me to two new loves on Netflix. My two-favorite new obsession are two television series, Gran Hotel from which aired in Spain from 2011 to 2013 and from France, currently in its 3^rd season, Dix pour cent (Call my Agent).

Keeping Calm internally and Externally

Living on this beautiful earth is a gift but it can be emotionally exhausting when dealing with others, whose taste, values, and attitude, spirits and life views differ from your own. It make so much sense why most of us do seek to build communities with people we think are just like us.

I am a proponent of the sayings “You can’t control another person’s reaction, you can only control your own” and “It is none your business what someone else thinks about you”.


To follow these life tenets,  I am happy that the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz exists. I like that it exists because going to bed at the end of each day with a joyful heart and a peaceful mind is one of life's blissful gifts I want to experience.

My grandmother use to say that when she saw me angry, she knew I was always in the right because I only become enraged  when I know I am right and it is time to say enough is enough, especially in situation when someone is being inconsiderate towards me or others. 


As I got older, I learned to pick my battles and acquaintances carefully, while remaining open to interactions and ideas that makes me a well-round person. I have also been doing great at stopping the paralyzing worries of what others thought of me, worries that would keep me awake all night,  worries that would  stop me from experiencing life and from sharing my ideas and opinions.

As I go deeper into my spiritual practice, I am learning to create a world that I would love to live in, one in which I have a life that is respectable, happy, engaging, productive, and meaningful life. I am also learning to deal with life’s curveballs a fruitful way.

For a while now I have been going through a transformative period and as I near its end, and enter into another evolutionary stage, I am happy that Mr. Ruiz’s book came into my life. I have known about the book for years but it is only just recently that I read it. Every day before I start my day, as part of my Morning Prayer and quiet time, I recite the four agreements to myself. Thank you, Don Miguel Ruiz. I am looking forward to these agreements becoming part of my innate habits.


Since I am saying thank you, I want to thank my favorite Iconoclast, Cate Blanchett, to my friends on 12 and Beacon of light radio stations, because, of you all, I will  keep my light from under the bushel.

We've debated, now let's take action. Shall we?

I've been thinking about all the summits, seminars and workshops we organize to address societal and workplace issues. Every year, many of these events, attempt to solve the same issues that were tackled in past years or by other organizations in the previous months. In fact, I have gone to many and even helped organized a few and my takeaway has also been solutions similar to ones I have heard before.

Lately I am feeling the urge to move beyond just talking. I know for certain that we have come up with many great solutions, and I feel it is time to implement them.



In the past, whenever I am at a seminar, I usually think to myself, why am I here? What I am going to do with this information I am getting?
Lately, I have been using these questions to help me select the seminars, workshop or talks I take part in because I realized that after each event, when the exciting of being part of these engaging dialogs fade, I would tuck the solutions I gathered away because I don’t have mechanism to implement the solutions.

But now instead of refusing to participate or to listen because I don’t have the influence to move things forward, I need to fight to be heard; I need to keep asking, the question, ‘how do we move forward from just talking to taking actions?’ to others. I need push to work collaboratively with those who have the influence to create the vehicle for change to actualize.

So world, how do we move from talking about equality for women in the workplace and in life to taking actions to make sure it is a reality?




Update!!
Interesting development form UN Women's Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC). Please read.