009: Disconnected Profits: The Inner Game of Business
Disconnection is all around us, its arguably become the default state of existence for people living in modern society.
It pervades our relationship to our bodies, our communities, the earth, and the great blue sky.
Heres what's been said about the topic by others seeking solutions:
“Disconnection is the root cause of so many of our societal problems.” – Gabor Maté
“We live in an age of constant connectivity, yet we find ourselves feeling more disconnected than ever before.”– Arianna Huffington
“The greatest tragedy of our time is the disconnection from ourselves, others, and the world around us.” – Jack Kornfield
And here's some startling facts:
In a 2017 study, Berkeley University examined 186 nature-related words and analyzed their frequency across millions of books, songs, and movies. When compared to the 1950s, they observed a steady decline in mentions of nature. By 2017, there was only one nature mention for every three found in the 1950s.
The most recent census data suggests than more than a quarter of the world's population is living alone.
Many people experience disconnect from their bodies due to at least three key factors:
Viewing the body as a "machine" made of physical matter and devoid of spirit.
Fear of receiving messages from the body that might necessitate change.
Experiencing physical, mental, and emotional trauma.
Thankfully, I believe the world is beginning to recognize that humans weren't meant to live this way. Many smart, conscious individuals are addressing these issues, advocating for the importance of reconnecting with our world beyond mere matter.
When we begin to tune in and connect to our inner experience, we tap into our divinity and the sacred invisible that connects us all.
But something Carolina and I have noticed is that few people discuss how we can reconnect with our businesses in a similar way, moving beyond a traditional external viewpoint to also consider our inner experience.
Sure, plenty of people talk about improving productivity, creating your 'ideal day,' or achieving 'inbox zero.' However, in my opinion, most advice misses the mark, as it remains largely focused on manipulating the external world to produce a 'desirable' end result.
Of course, it's entirely possible to run a "successful business" in a disconnected state, generating more profit, expanding your impact, and achieving nearly any external metric valued by the material world.
But at what cost to your personal experience of joy, happiness, and health?
Instead, I would propose we should be looking at our inner experience first.
And what do I mean when I say "inner experience"?
Just like humans have a soul, or spirit, an aligned and connected business will have a core essence and a deep purpose.
And if you've ever felt your business was a calling, rather than an opportunity, then you are likely channeling a higher purpose.
How does it feel in your body when you are doing your work?
Do you feel alive, empowered, and in your fullest expression of your being as you go about your days?
Or do you often feel full of fear and resistance, finding it a slog just to "show up" for your clients or engage in sales activities?
This quote by Michael Singer really speaks to me:
"My formula for success was very simple: Do whatever is put in front of you with all your heart and soul without regard for personal results. Do the work as though it were given to you by the universe itself - because it was"
I sought out Michael as a teacher for this exact reason. He was a man who achieved 'everything' in every sense measurable in traditional business. Yet, by his own admission, he never aimed to create anything; he simply sought to serve what was unfolding through him.
To operate from this place, one must tune in and ask what might at first feel like difficult questions.
I remember when I first started looking inward, I didn't like what I began to find.
Back in 2019, I was running a pretty successful consulting business in the hearing industry, and experiencing "personal bests" in terms of 6-figure monthly revenue. Everything on paper was great, but I still felt this underlying current of "dis-ease".
Which makes sense, because in my body, things were starting to crack apart at the seams.
Burnout, overwhelm, sickness, and anxiety.
Accompanied by a constant need for "more", comparing myself to peers who I perceived to be "ahead of me", and a nagging feeling that I was always missing out on something.
And I was someone who never expected to have my own business, let alone a six-figure month. I kept asking myself, "if I'm not happy now, when???"
This led me to make some pretty radical shifts in my life and my business.
For me, that meant shutting down that business entirely at the end of the year and embarking on an inward adventure to seek out mentors who had mastered the inner game.
To be clear - I'm not in any way suggesting that the key to happiness is to shut down your business and become a monk.
Far from it. I believe each of our paths will unfold precisely as necessary to fuel our personal evolution and take us to the places vital for our growth.
But I am here to say that if you think your business is separate from your spiritual journey, you might still be in a state of disconnection, which might warrant a deeper examination.
How can you tap into limitless possibility if you don't believe your business is part of a greater journey?
Happenings
Ron Reich's LIVE event, The Limitless Experience is almost here!
I'll be co-leading a workshop with Carolina on Creating Your Sacred Business, as well as participating in the 7-figure growth panel, alongside some really amazing entrepreneurs like Todd Herman, Sasha Lipskaia, Brian McCarthy, Laura Belgray, Ollie Jordan Matthews, Anna Tsui, Isa Herrera, Cindy Childress, and Jay Fiset. It's not too late to join us!
Here's the link, and definitely let me know if you plan to be there!
The art, ecstasy & energetics of crafting a life-changing offer
I would love to invite you to join me in a beautiful opportunity to come down to Costa Rica to relate with your work and business in a different way.
This is live retreat intensive that Ry Schwartz and I (via our Empire Engineering business) dreamed up earlier this year, and Carolina will also be a partnering with us in a big way to bring her magic to the teaching staff and overall experience design.
The event is all in service to helping you create new offers that are:
Soul-Expanding for You
Life-Changing For Your Audience
Boundary-Pushing For Your Industry
In Sacred Service to Something Bigger
You will find the perfect environment for creativity and support for all your new endeavors.
This retreat will happen in Costa Rica, Playa Grande from February 22-26th, 2024.
Attendance will be limited to 15 participants so be sure to check it out here and let me know if you'd like to have a conversation about it (you can just reply to this email).
Who We Are Celebrating This Week: Michael Singer
Few teachers have impacted my life and worldview more than Michael Singer. While we were living in Florida, I had the great privilege of being able to spend quite a bit of time at The Temple of the Universe and attending his Sunday talks.
This is one of my favorite interviews, seeing how Tony and Mickey's world views come together. This is a great conversation that I've listened to on multiple ocassions.
I also highly recommend Michael's Living From a Place of Surrender course.
Here's What I Want to Share This Week:
In Barb's World (Click Here)
This is a beautiful newsletter just released by Barbara Holmes. Barb serves at Zen Habits as the community manager for Fearless Living Academy, and is also responsible for creating the monthly newsletter over there. More recently, she has begun to share her own writing, and I'd love to share it here with you as another source of inspiration for your month.
The Happiness Project (Click Here)
I might be pretty late to finding this, given their 833K followers, but I really love their instagram account and what they are doing to support mental health.
The Happiness Project's mission is to elevate happiness throughout the world, while supporting those impacted by mental health issues.
They are committed to sharing the message that no one has to go through their journey alone. The brand strives to show the world that it's okay to not be okay.
Memorable Quote:
