John Addison: You Can’t Run and Hide When Things Change

I grew up in Georgia during the Civil Rights Movement. As a matter of fact, I was entering eighth grade in 1969 when the Supreme Court ordered the immediate desegregation of all public schools. A lot of the white families pulled their kids out of the integrated public schools and enrolled them in a newly opened, all-white private school in our county. But not my parents. The world was changing and my mom didn’t think running and hiding from it was going to do me any good. She wanted me to learn how to live in it, so I stayed at R.L. Cousins Junior High School where 50 percent of my classmates were now African-American.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that even though my classmates and I had different backgrounds and very different life experiences, getting along with them was easy. I also quickly realized that not everyone around me felt the same way. There were an awful lot of people who were only comfortable being around others who were just like them and anyone different made them incredibly uneasy. That line of thinking led to a lot of ugliness in our country. 

The world has never stopped changing and, unfortunately, a lot of the attitudes that were so prevalent almost four decades ago haven’t either. That’s really unfortunate if you consider the fact that our country is becoming so diverse that, by 2050, the United States isn’t expected to have an ethnic or racial majority. Basically, that means that the odds of finding people just like you to go to school with, work with and live around are getting slimmer and slimmer. Now, perhaps more than ever, if you want to be successful in business—and in life—you better learn how to not only be comfortable with people who are different from you but also how to work really well with them.

Having a diverse workforce can be a huge asset. Putting together people with different backgrounds and experiences drives innovation. Innovation improves your bottom line. But the only way having a diverse workforce is going to be beneficial is if you make inclusion and unity a cornerstone of your culture. As the leader, you have to set the standard for how diversity is going to be handled—with your actions and your words.

Your every action and word has to show you recognize the different strengths in each person and that you see those strengths as the opportunity to grow and be more productive. Challenge yourself to seek advice and opinions from new and diverse sources when you are faced with a difficult task or situation. Make a habit of putting people from different backgrounds and experiences together on big projects so they can witness each other’s strengths firsthand. If your teams see that you believe in the benefits of everyone working together for an innovative, common goal, they’ll be much more open to collaborating with diverse groups on their own.

These little organic exposures to “diversity training” will ultimately give you and your team the ability to do the one thing I believe can unify us all: see things from someone else’s perspective. I feel like that is one of the greatest lessons I took away from my mother, especially during those turbulent integration years. By keeping me in the public school with all those different kids, she was making sure I had the ability to understand we don’t all experience situations the same way. To this day, I still make a conscious effort to try to appreciate other people’s perspectives—even if I totally disagree with them. The same thing happens when people collaborate with others they ordinarily wouldn’t get to know. As a result, they get to see and experience things in ways they never even considered. That unleashes creativity, which leads to innovation—and employees who truly understand what an asset a diverse workplace really can be.

Our world is a diverse one and it’s going to continue to become more so. There is eventually going to be no way around having a diverse workforce, and hanging on to prejudice and intolerance in this evolving world will lead to your company’s demise. Not everyone who works for you is going to want the same things or be driven by the same goals. But that just makes them different, not wrong. Those differences can be the unifier that leads your organization to greatness.   

http://www.success.com/blog/john-addison-you-cant-run-and-hide-when-things-change

6 Things We Should Start Saying To Promote Body Positivity

We live in a body-obsessed culture. If you consume any media, it's nearly impossible to ignore the conversation around what is conventionally considered beautiful. Sadly, the definition of beauty that is perpetrated in the media is narrow and excludes most of the variety that exists in reality.

The body image discourse has been on repeat for years. When I bring it up to friends and family, it mostly generates a "not again" eye roll. Despite sounding like a broken record, change is slow to trickle into the media. Yes, some great advertisement campaigns have begun to slowly shift the conversation, but breaking out of this mindset will take time, while the pressure to conform to unhealthy and unattainable prescriptions seems to only increase.

In my opinion, having a positive body image consists a bold political statement. In a world where we're constantly reminded that we are not enough, loving yourself is taking a stance against unrealistic ideals, and against the objectification and hyper sexualization of bodies. The best place to start promoting a positive body image is to change the way we talk about our own bodies.

By gently challenging negative statements and shifting our language into one that celebrates beauty, diversity and confidence, we can change the popular discourse.

Here are six things we should start (or continue) saying to promote positive body image:

1. "Thank you!"

While humility is an admirable quality, it's also important that we recognize our beauty. It can feel much easier to deny compliments when they're given, but rejecting a compliment can sometimes serve to acquiesce with the pressure that is placed on us to dislike our bodies.

Instead, try flashing a big smile and give a heartfelt “thank you” when you receive a compliment. Some days it might be, “Thank you, I really needed that,” or “Thank you for being so kind.” Whatever you respond, try move away from the “Thank you, but ..."

I’ve found this small change — taking a compliment to heart without deflecting — makes me integrate into my life and psyche the qualities and traits others find beautiful about me.

2. "I like doing ____, and I feel great!"

We're drilled to punish ourselves for the tiniest pleasures. Whether it’s "indulging" in a decadent dessert, swapping the gym session for a spa day or taking time to explore our sexuality, we have a tendency to focus on the harm done rather than enjoying the benefits.

Our bodies can be a source of immense pleasure; isn’t it a shame to not be fully present in those moments? Take the time to relax, give in to things you like to do once in a while and encourage others to do the same. Sharing these experiences serves as a reminder that it’s great to enjoy and discover the amazing ways we can feel.

Moreover, spending time with our bodies in a positive frame of mind helps reinforce those body positive thoughts and attitudes. Indulge in a nice moisturizer, go for a massage, get that lower back pain checked out, have sex ... and talk about it!

3. "Exercise makes me feel energized/strong/happy."

In most conversations (and most exercise studios) physical activity is sold solely for its weight loss benefits. It’s often hard to remember — or even notice — the exhaustive list of benefits provided. Exercise keeps you in good health, physically and mentally, and we need to refocus our definition of health to include things other than physical appearance.

Sure, that rock climbing class has toned your arms, but have you noticed how much stronger you are now? And regardless of how many calories you burn during Zumba, you always leave with a spring in your step.

Find activities that nourish your body and mind. Carve out time for them. Help reframe the conversations to include all aspects of wellbeing, not just your pants size.

4. "I'd rather not talk about this."

Sometimes, it’s hard to ignore conversations about body image. Next time someone says something that strikes you as negative body image, share how important it is to resist giving in to popular discourse. By doing this, we take back the power in the discourse and minimizing the importance of those features that are glorified in our narrow discourse.

5. "The women on TV and in magazines don't represent me."

Acknowledging the lack of diversity in media is the first step in creating change. While there have been some body positive campaigns, the truth remains that the majority of what we see in the media is monotone: white, able bodied, thin, fit, Photoshopped models.

If you know of an alternate, body positive source of information, share it. For example, I have begun following Instagram accounts that illustrate diversity. Seeing them on my feed is a welcome change every day and reminds me that beauty can present itself in a million other ways than what's fed to me in fashion magazines.

6. "I understand."

Developing a positive body image is hard work! These pointers are meant to encourage you and bring you on a journey that will take time and will likely be filled with moments of defeat. Many of us have begun the journey toward developing a positive body image, and it’s always nice to know that we’re not fighting this fight alone.

Deciding to reject beauty standards is hard, and there will be constant reminders to steer us back to where you started. But if we can support each other, it can be done!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22723/6-things-we-should-start-saying-to-promote-body-positivity.html