Track an act of kindness as its passed from one…
Be an Includer
At 4GGL, we believe in and practice “inclusive leadership.” And in a recent story on Upworthy, we found someone who very eloquently and clearly explained what that means in her life. First, she started out by sharing the experience of being “excluded” in school as a young girl, and how it caused her to feel…. Then, she shared how living THROUGH that experience helped create the person she is today: an “includer.”[symple_spacing size=”10”]
“Through gentleness, compassion, and mindful attention, experiences of rejection, betrayal, and hurt transformed me.” – Lisa McCrohan
What came out of her experiences with “mean girls”?[symple_spacing size=”10″]
Lisa says, she can look back and see how she became an includer, someone who sees the outsider and looks to include people. Someone who is good at bringing people in, making them feel a part of things. [symple_spacing size=”10″]
“It offers an opportunity for deepening my practice of mindfulness and compassion… for opening my heart even wider.”[symple_spacing size=”10”]
Through loving attention, through learning to include it all with mindfulness and compassion, she transformed hurtful experiences into compassionate, inclusive arms to hold, words to speak, hands to give, and presence to offer. [symple_spacing size=”10″]
- I learned to say, “That’s not OK!” and “Stop!” and “I am walking away now.
- I learned to find my tribe of women.
I learned to ask for help. I learned to be with others who uplift and honor each other. - I learned how to see clearly.
I learned to not think there was something wrong with me. I learned to not turn on myself but rather have regard for myself. - I learned to speak up. I learned to speak up for myself and for others in the face of injustice — on the playground, in the hallways between classes in middle school, or in international peace negotiations.
- I learned ways of working through difficulties with other girls and women
in ways that honor and regard each girl and woman’s body, feelings, experiences, and needs. - I learned to be an includer. I learned to mindfully abide with whatever I am experiencing within my own inner landscape. And from such a place of inclusion, I learned to include and walk beside others.
Our family has become “includers.” We are about community and creating space for people — in our home, in our lives, in our hearts — for adults and children to feel loved and included just as they are.
4GGL thanks Upworthy for this story!
Upworthy is social media with a mission. It draws massive amounts of attention to things that matter. Upworthy shares stories with its community, and they share it on to their friends and families = engaging a total of about 50 MILLION people each month on some of society’s most important topics.
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