Dignity: It’s a Journey not a Destination. 

Its Dignity Friday and what a wet rainy Friday it is. 

Every morning I get up around 4am to prepare to do my morning workout. It has become a daily routine for me as I strive to live a healthier lifestyle. Some days I am on point and others I can fall off but as my brother Tracy says “Every day is a new day for redemption.” Each day I rise at 4 am is a new day for me to redeem myself. It is a chance for me to be better and to do better.  

I get my inner strength from my belief in something higher. I know that some who read this post may not have those same beliefs but I do believe that we all live for something greater than ourselves. I also understand that it is a journey each person has to discover for themselves. Dr. Donna Hicks in her book “Leading with Dignity” says it best, that we all strive to connect to the dignity within ourselves, the dignity of others, and the dignity of something higher. 

I take that dignity walk every day because I want to be a better person. Honoring and elevating dignity allows us to not only rejoice in the good times but allows us to push forward in the difficult times. Dignity opens up our hearts and minds and allows us to listen to those who may have different points of view than we do. It allows us to hear others thoughts especially when we have to make difficult choices that will affect them.  

I have listed the 10 Essentials of Dignity from a teaching tool I received from Dr. Hicks titled Dignity Skills and Tools. I use this to evaluate my interactions with others:  

1. Acceptance of Identity: Do I communicate value to people I come into contact with, especially those who are different from me? 

2. Recognition: Do I routinely give praise and credit 

3. Acknowledgment: Do I actively listen to others when I am with them? Do I validate their concerns 

4. Inclusion: Do I go out of my way to include others in ways that make them feel like they belong? 

5. Safety: Do I routinely put people at ease when they have difficult things to say to me? Do I communicate to them that it is safe to “speak up”? 

6. Fairness: Do I think about the impact my decisions and behavior have on others so that they feel that I treat them fairly? 

7. Independence: Do I routinely give people the opportunity to exercise their power so that I am careful not to be too controlling? 

8. Understanding: Do I routinely give people the chance to speak their mind, especially at times when I may not initially agree with them? 

9. Benefit of the Doubt: When I have an interaction with others, do I assume that they have integrity or do I assume they are not trustworthy? 

10.  Righting the Wrong/Accountability: Do I routinely take responsibility for my actions when I hurt others (violate their dignity)? 

These are great questions to ask even when you evaluate a difficult conversation you are going to have.  

I believe that if we want to be successful not only at work but in life, we have to take that dignity journey. We need to connect to our own dignity, the dignity of others, and the dignity to something higher. It keeps us grounded. It keeps us human and it opens our hearts and minds to something greater.  

We have a challenging road ahead still not just with COVID but recognizing what kind of legacy we will leave for the next generation.  

As Dr. Don Shirley stated in the movie Green Book “You only win when you maintain your dignity. Dignity always prevails.” 

Charles Redd RN 

Dignity Freedom Fighter