If you’ve been following this series, I hope that by now you have an idea of what we mean by “Live Inclusively Actualized” and that you’ve been able to take steps in your own life to live more inclusively. At The Winters Group, with our official Live Inclusively Actualized efforts, it is our mission “to break down systemic barriers that impact marginalized communities” so that we can live in “a world that has fully actualized access, equity, and inclusion for all people.” What is your vision? What is your mission?
We’ve asked you over the past few weeks to grow in self-understanding by reflecting on who you are, where your worldview comes from, and what you bring to the table. We’ve asked you to be culturally intentional by engaging with and experiencing your cultural others in a way that fosters empathy. We’ve asked you to refuse to be complicit and take action in the face of exclusion and injustice. We’ve asked you to listen to understand and create spaces for dialogue in which there are no winners or losers, just people who have become more human in the presence of one another.
That’s a lot to ask. But that’s our vision. That’s our hope. That’s the reason we do what we do. But if you followed this series and just read through that list and thought, “I can’t possibly do all of those things. It’s too much for one person,” then you’re not alone. We don’t live in individual bubbles, and we aren’t meant to do everything, or really anything, on our own. This is a collective effort, and you just have to do what you can as your part. You just have to continue to have a pulse on what you want, where you’re going, and how this relates to the world and communities around you.
Living inclusively is a constantly evolving process, just as we are constantly evolving people. One day, you may feel like you have a handle on who you are and what you bring to the table. But then something changes, and your perspective shifts, and your understanding of who you are shifts, and as a result, you realize you have something totally different to bring to the world that you hadn’t thought of before. That’s the beauty of living inclusively – the world never stops serving you new perspectives and new people and new places and new challenges. If you open yourself to those, you’ll always have something more to give.
So, what’s your mission? What’s your vision? It’s most likely continually evolving, but we hope that our commitment to live inclusively inspires you to do the same. Surround yourself with people whose visions align with yours. Share in authenticity; embrace your differences; listen with compassion; act on your collective gifts and talents; and repeat. Sign the pledge today if you haven’t already, and continue to find ways to give your full, ever-evolving self to the world authentically.
