Use Your Difference to Make a Difference

4Education of Environment

Now that you've done the hard work of understanding yourself, your thoughts, and why you think the way you do, it's time to educate yourself on the environments around you. It's easy to lose sight of the effect our behavior has on others, yet seeing our behavior through others eyes' is a critical part of becoming more self-aware.

How do you do that? By

• Learning how to collect and gather information.
• Becoming an active listener.
• Being an active part of your community.

Learn How to Collect and Gather Information

Let's start off with collecting and gathering information. I said earlier that my dad was a diplomat and that we moved often because of his job. By the time I was freshman in college, I had lived in five countries and four continents, and with every move, I observed my dad as he sought to understand his new environments and establish relationships.

I watched him try to maintain international relations with regard to issues of peace, war, trade, economics, culture, the environment, and human rights. I also observed as he sought to establish common ground with his colleagues, locally and internationally. His morning routine before he went to the office was to read the newspaper (back when we did that sort of thing), tune in to the BBC, then CNN, and then the local news stations.

I would ask him, “Dad, why do you do these things?” and he responded with this: “Akintayo, the world is bigger than you and if you want to succeed in it, you have to ...