Your Business as a Spiritual Practice
In the course of my career, I’ve been in the "inner circle" helping my clients navigate the world of business and achieve their objectives. I am grateful for the trust they have in me, and for the many interesting experiences we’ve shared.
The most gratifying part is when I see a client’s relationship with money and success completely transform in a positive way during the course of our work. From fear, confusion and doubt to complete clarity, confidence and even abundance. These clients experience deep, internal changes that follow them throughout other areas of their life, both personal and professional. In a nutshell, they embrace the understanding that, as Christine Kane says in her book, The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur, "Your business is the playing field for your soul's expansion".
What better way to deepen and actively engage your spiritual beliefs than through your business? When you think about your business today, does it reflect (financially and otherwise) your beliefs as a spiritual being? I like to call this the journey of the "Enlightened Entrepreneur." There is a lot to unpack here - stay tuned!
Three Principles of an Enlightened Business
In his book, The Diamond Cutter, Michael Roach (a Buddhist Monk) shares how he was basically "kicked out" of his monastery and told to enter the world of business so that he could truly practice what he learned in a practical way. In other words - go into business! That’s where the rubber meets the road!
He chose the diamond district in New York City so that he could apply the principles from the ancient Buddhist teachings called The Diamond Cutter. In a nutshell, here are principles from those teachings which he shares in his book:
Your business should be successful. Making money and having a successful business is not at odds with your spiritual beliefs. The more you have, the more you can serve humanity. The point is how you make the money (clean and honest), understanding where it comes from, and knowing that it is unlimited (abundance mindset).
You should enjoy the money. Yes - it is OK to enjoy it! But keeping your mind, body and soul in good health is the key. This is about balance and peace of mind. All the money in the world will not mend a broken body, mind, relationships or soul. Be mindful of areas in your life you may be compromising in your pursuit of "success."
Your business should have meaning. At the end of your business (everything must end at some point) will you be able to look back and know that your business has had some lasting positive impact on the world? This can be large or small. You never know how truly impacting even one person can change the world.
To summarize, the goal of business according to this book is to enrich yourself and achieve prosperity, both outer and inner according to the spiritual laws that exist for this very purpose. The road has been created for us but it is not exactly "well-traveled." I am excited about being a vehicle on this road and helping others to bridge the gap between their business and their spiritual life. They can, and actually should be, the same. Creating a business from your heart and soul is one of the best ways to put your faith in action. This is the path of the Enlightened Entrepreneur. The more the better - let’s go!