Thriving in our differences | Choosing to celebrate

Written By Lucy Shenouda

For most of my life, I felt different. As a child of Egyptian origins, immigrating to  Canada in the early ‘70s, I was certainly different.

Even when I moved to Egypt as an adult in the mid-‘90s, I was different. I barely spoke Arabic, had a heavy accent, and I carried myself differently. 

I could tell just from the energy of the people around me, I was seen as different. I am different. Aren’t we all?

That’s just it, we are all different. It’s a fact of life. Fortunately, many of us have diverse and similar points of view, values and perspectives and we express them with nuances unique to each and every one of us. 

It is our differences that make us valued by each other.

It is in how we choose to celebrate those differences in ourselves and others that makes for a thriving experience. 

How do we start? 

I believe we start with choosing to celebrate the differences, for seeing the nuances as treasures to be discovered and in the discovery, we find the ideas, beliefs and attitudes that bind us. 

We may find belonging. What a treasure that is!

And, in belonging we may form flourishing relationships and have the spirit to thrive in our differences. 

Spirit to thrive in our differences

As a consequence of the multicultural community in which many of us live and work, dealing with different perspectives is a daily fact of life. 

What are the gifts you find in differences?

Lucy Shenouda

I am an organizational consultant and coach practitioner, a master certified coach (MCC), and systemic team coach. Thirty-five+ years across two careers, twenty+ as a branding and marketing specialist, fifteen+ as a professional coach, have brought me to where I do my best work: the intersection of strategy and human potential. My experience spans corporate leadership across Canada, MENA, parts of Africa and Asia–Pacific, partnering with senior leaders, senior leadership teams, cross-functional & operational teams, and global organizations. I bring both the strategic fluency of a seasoned business professional and the depth of a master practitioner – helping leaders and organizations move through complexity with clarity, courage, and collective purpose.

https://www.fosteressence.ca/
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