What’s Your Dream?
It’s anchored in helping each other.

By Effenus Henderson

WHAT IS “THE DREAM” ALL about today? What speaks to the soul of our nation? And how can you and I be part of the solution to build a more diverse and inclusive society? The cornerstone of the twin concepts of diversity and inclusion is an appreciation and respect for the difference we bring to a given situation.

This appreciation is amplified in the way we embrace and nurture those differences for society’s greater good. And, the dream is anchored in helping each of us become a better person as we journey through life.

We each face a set of givens in life. We know, for example, that equal opportunity is not guaranteed in life; however, we know that personal choices, those day-to-day choices we make, define and determine who and what we become. Life and opportunity are not fair. But working hard, honing your skills, and getting all the education you can—along with self-determination—can counter this inequality.

This lack of fairness isn’t just about race, class, or opportunity—it comes in many ways. However, we can’t wallow in self-pity and doubt; we must learn to take accountability for our own success.

This success can’t be defined by another; it comes from the inner spirit behind our mask. Every one of us is adorned with a soul that wears a unique mask. The soul is where achievement and drive reside. The soul is where the engine of opportunity or failure resides. It manifests itself in our positive and our negative spirits.

If we are to succeed in life, we must pay close attention to these positive and negative spirits that can and do influence our daily actions. Positive spirits push us to excel, to appreciate, to value, and to love. Negative spirits drag us down, teach us to hate, offer excuses for lack of success, and to cast dispersions and hurt on others. We must learn to recognize them and their differences, and work to build antidotes that vaccinate us from these negative behaviors and choices.

Five Principles for Success

I offer five principles for success.

Principle 1: Choose wisely. Success is deeply rooted in the choices and decisions you make daily .

Principle 2: Work hard. Idleness and a lack of engagement in the work you do can kill a career.

Principle 3: Develop discipline. Distraction and loss of focus are killer attributes, as they cause you to take your eyes off the prize.

Principle 4: Stay an adaptive student. Life is full of change and uncertainty. Always consider yourself a student and a learner.

Principle 5: Respect the differences of others. Difference and diversity are not limited to minorities and women. In a room full of white males, we would soon discover a world of difference and diversity.

Embrace Your Positive Spirit

As you use these principles to guide your life, learn to embrace your positive spirit. Don’t focus on your mask to guide
your actions. Seek to understand the other person’s spirit and allow them to understand yours. Practice patience, discipline and love in counteracting notions of inequality, failure, and low self-worth.

You are part of the creator’s glorious world, and you have a lot to offer your family and community. Learn to respect
and appreciate others while taking full accountability for the choices you make and the impact others have on your life. You can’t wallow in the circumstance of where and to whom you were born. You can, by the choices you make daily, determine your life’s destiny and the legacy you leave. This takes affirmative action to a personal level. In all of life circumstances, choose wisely.

ACTION: Dream of contributing service.

Effenus Henderson is the chief diversity officer for Weyerhaeuser Company. Visit www.weyerhaeuser.com or call 800-525-5440.