DIVERSITY DICTIONARY: Capacity

At The Other Box, we often say that the work of allyship, knowing your biases, and learning to communicate inclusively are about getting to know yourself better so that you can better understand others.?

Understanding your own capacity is a key to unlocking this path and creating more joy, balance and empathy. But what do we mean by capacity in this context??

According to author and entrepreneur Robert Glazer, there are four core elements of capacity:?

1. Intellectual capacity is about how you improve your ability to think, learn, plan and execute with discipline.
2. Physical capacity is your health, well-being and physical performance.
3. Emotional capacity is how you react to challenging situations, your emotional mindset and the quality of your relationships.
4. And finally, spiritual capacity, which is about understanding who you are, what you want most and the standards you want to live by each day.

(Source: robertglazer.com)?

Everybody’s capacity at any given moment is different and unique to them.?

Building capacity is about creating space, setting boundaries, learning to say yes when we mean yes, and no when we mean no. In order to do that, we have to become better at tuning into our own spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional needs.?

That might sound straightforward, but many of us are conditioned from a very young age to do the opposite, as that’s what’s considered to be more socially acceptable.?

One of the (many) consequences of not being able to create capacity is that we end up burnt out, and unable to extract ourselves from toxic relationships and situations. This can negatively impact our wellbeing.?

Learning how to build capacity in these four areas is a key to sustainability. It’s about operating within your means and resources, and being able to communicate clearly with others (and with yourself!)?

There’s a quote we often revisit here at TOB HQ: “The more full you ensure your own cup is, the more you have to pour onto others.” In other words, when you build capacity for yourself, you have more capacity for others. Investing in yourself is also an investment in those around you.

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Our mission at The Other Box is to make space for difference. Diversity Dictionary? is where we explore meanings and histories of the language of diversity, beyond a dictionary definition, so we can all build a deeper awareness and critical understanding of perspectives that may be different to our own. On all our social channels, we share our monthly theme supported by weekly words and their definitions. The terms are a taster from our Diversity Dictionary? course. To learn more, head to www.theotherbox.org/courses.