Using Mindfulness as a Tool for Building Cultural Competence 

Feeling not in control of many of the things that happen to us on a day-to-day basis can negatively impact our thinking. This skewed thinking then translates into our actions, and this can all easily become a perpetual cycle if we don't recognize what's happening. But, as we learn over and over in Onward, if we focus on what's within our sphere of control, we can actually improve our lives and the lives of those we interact with. We build resilience and work towards equity at the same time.

In this month's chapter (pages 134-139), Elena addresses this idea of "influence and control" in regards to our ability to raise our awareness of our thoughts and how those impact our interactions with others. One pattern of thought that she encourages us to explore is how our thoughts of other people have actually been socially, culturally, and politically conditioned. She points out that we all carry these unconscious biases, that this is a very human trait. She clarifies, though, that these views are not inevitable and that with the right work we can actually rewire our brains to override these impulses. She shares that mindfulness can "be a tool that enables us to notice the unconscious bias that we all have and begin to interrupt it."