The Power of Mindful Inclusion

Is it possible to be mindful without being inclusive?

Is it possible to be mindful without being inclusive?

Mindfulness is a commonly used word nowadays. Many organizations encourage employees to practice mindfulness to reduce stress, to be more effective, and to have a deeper connection to the work they do. 

Over the years as I’ve presented seminars and workshops to organizations on both mindfulness and inclusion, I asked myself the question, “Is it possible to be mindful without being inclusive?”

Mindfulness involves being aware of what is taking place within ourselves.

This includes the thoughts we think, the emotions we feel and the choices we make in addition to an external awareness of our impact in terms of the words we speak, the actions we follow through on, and our interactions with others. 

If this is what mindfulness encompasses, wouldn’t it seem that if one is able to truly be mindful then they are simultaneously inclusive in nature?

Meaning, they are aware when someone says or does something that discriminates or places a dyad of superior/inferior towards another person.

Perhaps most importantly, they are aware of when they say or do something that might be considered discriminatory or prejudice and keeps the dyad of superior/inferior in place.

What about when a mindful individual keeps seeing the same people getting promoted and advanced, while another group of people are continuously overlooked. 

Or when they are aware that there are colleagues in their workplace who’ve expressed they don’t feel like they belong, that their opinions are dismissed and there is no effort to resolve these barriers?

Wouldn’t the mindful individual address these disparities for the benefit of the greatest good?

Perhaps, one cannot be mindful until one is able to not only know what is taking place within themselves but also is willing to see the world from another person’s perspective. 

Expanding cultural understanding and cultural intelligence to promote diversity and inclusion within the spaces we find ourselves in. 

For those of us who follow a mindful practice or for those of us looking to begin, I’d like to challenge you to not only be aware of what is going on within yourself but being aware of how you use your energy while sensing the energy of others. 

If you don’t like the word energy, then what kind of attitude, mentality, mindset, outlook, and set of beliefs are you bringing with you each day?

Does that mindset, mentality, and belief system support inclusion or are we not aware of what is taking place behind the surface of who we think we are?

These hard questions can dissolve the barrier that prevents inclusion from being a reality. 

It is possible, however, but it requires all of us to practice Mindful Inclusion. 

It begins with each of us ensuring that our thoughts, choices, words, actions, and efforts are inclusive in nature.