Ask Why
My children were constant questioners? Why do I have to eat this? Why do I have to go to school? Why can’t I wear my clothes inside out? Why is it raining today?  Why can’t I sleep with the dog?
 
As inclusion practitioners, we must constantly question our non-inclusive realities. We must regularly challenge the status quo. We must consistently disrupt the forces of exclusion.
 
Be Open
Every day with my children was like an adventure of unpredictability. You never knew what might happened next. They lived their lives with an openness that made them more susceptible to life’s revelations. Like a flower whose petals were constantly open, they were ready for life’s moments even at the most inopportune time.
 
As inclusion warriors, we must be ready for differences that are invading our lives with valuable and sometimes surprising messages. Often, this information comes from unlikely sources that if not for our inclusive outlooks, we would miss altogether.
 
Resiliency
During an Easter vacation, my four-year-old son fell off the deck of my in-law’s house. Hurtled to the ground face first 4 feet below and did not suffer as much as a scratch or a bruise. Lucky for me because I was supposed to be watching him while my wife was preparing lunch.
 
Inclusion advocates must be resilient, gritty and tough as well. We must be ready for the inevitable punches of exclusion that come our way. We must have rock hard chins to take the blows and body punches from a world that does not naturally embrace inclusion.
 
As my son did, we must bounce back from life’s inevitable setbacks we encounter from promoting the inclusion gospel. We must have short memories and remarkable recovery instincts to get back in the game even when the scoreboard shows our team is behind.
 
Experience Life to the Fullest
I remember when I would visit my children’s kindergarten classes. The teacher asked a question and the entire class would raise their hand and blurt out the first thing that entered their minds. They did not worry about what others thought of their comments. They spoke from their hearts. They relished every moment of every second of every day. They left it all on the playing field.

As inclusion professionals, we must celebrate every victory to the max even if it is short lived. Many times, we forego the satisfaction of inclusion success by thinking about the next inclusion challenge around the corner. We worship at the altar of the phrase, “success is never owned, it is rented, and the rent is due every day.” We must own the fruits of today before we move on to the next harvest.

Want to find the inclusion magic. Question everything, be in a constant state of openness, develop a tough skin, and squeeze the maximum out of life’s rare inclusive experiences.

Listen to what the children are saying. Sometime life’s most powerful inclusion truths emanate from the mouths of babes