How can you improve diversity and inclusion in personal development?

Look at those around you. How do they seem? Do they all look the same? This could be all white male just as easily as all Latina females. It’s the similarity that matters far more than the what here. Do you have access to a cross section of society? Whether that’s gender, ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, age. Are these hidden or visible qualities? Nearly every characteristic can increase your diversity. The more access to the more people you have the more diverse your culture, you experiences and ability to help others. So check in with yourself and your network. What’s the reality of your surroundings? How can they be improved?

Elevating diversity and inclusion in personal development begins with assessment. Be a perceptive observer, like an artist taking in a scene. Recognize voices unheard, perspectives absent. Unearth biases - hidden like gems. Measure inclusivity; gaps and strengths. Let empathy be your lens. Understand the tapestry; threads woven uniquely. Through this clarity, you lay foundations - nurturing growth where every voice resonates, and inclusion flourishes.

Educating yourself on diversity and inclusion is not supposed to be a walk in the park. It means exposing your way of thinking and biases to others, challenging your life-long beliefs getting really, really uncomfortable. But only for a while, until you shed light on your hidden spots. Aiming for that and knowing how to measure your discomfort can be an indicator of how successful your learning is.

Diversity and Inclusion is a huge topic in 2023 and will only get bigger during 2024 and beyond. People who get “labelled” by a characteristic or attribute want to be heard and feel valued. Especially if they feel they’ve not been listened to. You need to experience cultures, opinions, and as much as possible live the experiences. There is a letter of a law vs spirit Vs reality. The same is true for diversity on opinion and experiences. You may think it’s diverse, try to make it diverse but actually really, you still ignore large sections of society. Always access and experience as much as you can. You’ll never be fully diversified but almost everyone can always expose themselves to more.

Opportunity for growth and change: As a result of my diverse and inclusive experiences I experience more empathy and a transforming sense anger with my internal dialogue and interaction with others. The challenges that arise: Balance trust in my wise-self more, read the room and assess what is safe and well timed in providing feedback, reflection and recommendations. Diversity and inclusion is more than my voice speaking up but also about creating safety and making space for the voice of the other without causing unintended consequences to them at this time.

Everyone should always look for lessons in how they can grow from any Situation. The same is true of how one can expand accessibility and diversity of an experience. EG if you run an experience event and want to open it up to someone in a wheelchair is making it more diverse. Providing different sensory experiences, different ways of learning, multiple languages. Anything that makes life easier to reach the better it can be for you and your client! It could also easily become a new niche for you, allowing you to benefit more people and gain more consistency in your revenue as well as better experiences for you and better opportunities to learn.