In order to become the you that you truly are, you must consider all that you are— the wholeness of you.
When something is known solely by the mind it is confined to this realm of understanding. But this is an incomplete understanding. The freedom to be you begins with this awareness, that there’s more to you than just your thoughts.
Does it really matter if you understand why and what you fear? How the culture in which you grew and developed programmed you to think a certain way? The more you know, the more you’ll see, connect, and understand. The more we understand ourselves, the less likely we’ll be to project our confusions and misunderstandings upon others.
“We are all creative manifestations of God“, was something one of my former teachers planted in my heart. It always made me smile and even delight in the awareness of the differences. Personally, it helped me realize that my diversity, my differences were totally ‘okay’– that it was okay to be ‘this and that’ and to embrace and honor all that I was, and all that happened to me, but most importantly, it granted me permission to create what I truly wanted to become.
As you review the table below, consider all the deeper ways you are. These things have nothing to do with your ethnicity, skin color, age, political orientation, religion, or sexual orientation which is where the social narrative often pits us against ourselves and against one another
Going ‘under the hood’ of your own thoughts and taking responsibility for what you are perceiving is true independence. The freedom and permission to integrate your own vast intelligence is solely in your hands.
Expressions of human diversity
| level of awareness (consciousness) | emotional range |
| the kinds of thoughts you think | ability to perceive |
| place of birth | intuition |
| astrological sign/elemental nature | the languages you speak & accents |
| personal health | your life experiences |
| personal history | family narratives |
| preferred music & sounds | educational background/ curiosities |
| institutional affiliations | the things you love |
| creative expressions | the things you fear |
| social roles | your skills & aptitude |
The inner-work of ‘IDE’
Inclusion
I embrace and accept all that I am, as well as both the good and the bad that happened to me.
Diversity
I accept that I’m a unique individual and that I’m constantly changing and growing. I have diversity of emotion, thought, and creative expression.
Equity
I recognize my inherent value as a human being and strive to align with individuals and organizations that do as well.
Flourishing-u | The Flourishing Way blog 