Hi There, Today is quite the auspicious day. I’m just back from my first sunrise kayak of 2021 (better late than never!) I was on the lake meditating, and listening to a symphony of natural sounds, when I was overwhelmed by a great wave of gratitude. Ahhh nature, silence, stillness, peace, safety. I returned from my adventure, got rehydrated, and am now enjoying coffee on the porch, breathing the honeysuckle-scented air, again feeling connected to nature and oh, so fortunate to work among such stillness. My heart is full of gratitude. And as I caress my keyboard to compose this week’s distribution message, I recognize that my sense of gratitude, when looked at from a different angle, can be defined as Privilege. You see, I’m grappling with the fact that the word “Privilege” holds a stigma, much like the word “Bias”. And yet, professionals must consider their privilege as an important component to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace. Before we can provide others with the support they need to succeed, we must recognize that despite “playing on a level playing field” in the workplace these days, not everyone began at field level. Do you consider yourself privileged? If the question alone causes you to bristle, go ahead and ask yourself a different question: “Why?” Once you compassionately think this through, I invite you to reframe privilege from a sense of guilt to a feeling of gratitude. Consider yourself fortunate, blessed, lucky and advantaged. After all, if you can walk (or paddle) safely through your neighborhood, drink clean water and breathe clean air, you’re more privileged than 29% of the world who doesn’t have access to safe drinking water, or 92% of the world who breathes substandard air. Isn’t it interesting how the things you and I take for granted are actually our privileges? Now convert this concept for the workplace. Watch this 4-minute video and consider how many steps forward you would take. Then, silently nod to yourself with gratitude. Although the video is meant to demonstrate privilege, when you flip it around, these details are things to be grateful for. Let’s take this exercise one step farther. Instead of feeling squeamish about your privilege, ask yourself the questions, “How can I use my privilege to make the workplace more equitable? How can I be a better ally?” The answers will come from observing workplace dynamics, from DRIVEN’s website, and from countless other sources. Congratulations on becoming part of the solution! Cheers! -Deborah Deborah Goldstein DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin 212-204-9467