Sacred Business Manifesto: Everything Is Connected — Part VI of VII

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Because everything is connected, your “business problem” is rarely just about business.

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There’s a quote by Albert Einstein that I love which reads:

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

We are increasingly disconnected from our hearts, the people we come into contact with, and our own divinity.

Here in the heart of the jungles of Costa Rica where I’m currently writing this, there’s a natural coexistence of all nature supporting life. Centuries-old Ceiba trees, toucans, butterflies, and monkeys coexist, each essential to supporting the ecosystem’s health.

This balance, a natural exchange, fuels life itself. Historically, our ancestors were also deeply connected to their environment, understanding their role within nature’s complex webs. We knew our place in relationship to our communities and to the land that supported daily life.

In most societies, we’ve lost touch with this rhythm.

Disconnection has arguably become the default state of existence for people living in modern society.

Our drive for independence and personal freedom, coupled with a false belief of separation, have isolated us from so many of the systems that are meant to nurture us, leading to widespread feelings of loneliness and self-destructive behaviors.

Some startling facts:

According to a 2021 survey from Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project, 36% of all Americans — including 61% of young adults — reported feeling serious loneliness.

The American Heart Association says social isolation and loneliness are associated with about a 30% increased risk of heart attack or stroke or death from either.

Disconnection contributes to serious mental health issues, with statistics from the CDC indicating that suicide rates in the U.S. increased by 37% from 1999 to 2022.

The way we’ve adopted technology and our phones has further exacerbated disconnection, making it harder to maintain our focus and truly be present to life unfolding around us. The modern world is inundated with artificial lighting, screens, and a pervasive desire to seek validation through social media.

Arianna Huffington was also quoted as saying, “We live in an age of constant connectivity, yet we find ourselves feeling more disconnected than ever before.”

And well-known meditation teacher Jack Kornfield has declared, “The greatest tragedy of our time is the disconnection from ourselves, others, and the world around us.”

The division fueled by our sense of separation manifests in various ways: from increasing urban sprawl that distances us from nature, to the competitive, individualistic mindset prevalent in our work cultures, which often leads to burnout and disengagement.

We’re one big blob. The sooner we realize this, the easier and more enjoyable work (and life) becomes.

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.

Our relationship with our work and business are greatly impacted by our sense of disconnection.

Some people are starting to wake up to a different way of thinking, but hustle culture is prevalent still in most entrepreneurial circles. There’s a lot of people talking about things like planning your ideal day, achieving inbox zero, and the fantasy of having a four-hour work week, but all these concepts anchor upon an external viewpoint rather than one’s inner experience.

Society loves to talk about productivity frameworks and optimizations, but learning to manage your inner experience (e.g. relating to your emotions differently) is the most impactful for creating with flow and enthusiasm.

It’s entirely possible to achieve better productivity and performance, grow your business, and generate more wealth while operating from a disconnected state. However, this is a road that ultimately leads towards overwhelm and burnout, as well as potential sickness and anxiety.

This was certainly my experience growing my first consulting business, which was generating over six figures a month. Everything on paper was amazing, but I was still feeling uneasy, unhappy, and unfulfilled. I had this constant feeling of needing to have “more” and that I would be missing out on something until I was able to hit the “next level” in an unwinnable game.

When I looked for inspiration on how to feel better about myself, most of what I found centered around manipulating “the outside world” to get more “stuff” or producing a desired “result” that can be measured materially.

This led to more isolation from myself and others until it was time to try something new.

That’s when I made a crazy decision.

I shut down my business, six-figure monthly income stream and all. From there, I embarked on an adventure of the soul 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 in a way that fuels our personal evolution and take us to the places vital for our growth.

But if you think your business is separate from your spiritual journey, you might be in a state of disconnection.

It all starts with our inner experience.

What do I mean by “inner experience”?

Just like humans have a soul, an aligned and connected business will have a core essence. 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?

Looking back at my own journey, what I’ve found is that the patterns that keep us in our stuckness and isolation can only be broken through recognizing that everything is connected and beginning to operate from this premise.

According to Vedic traditions, we possess an inherent potential that manifests through nature’s laws, promoting balance and growth.

Remembering (and deepening your realization) that everything and everyone is connected will break through any unhelpful thought pattern you have..

Recognizing our part in this dynamic and the creative intelligence it entails helps us feel a deep reverence for the sacredness of life and a sense of true belonging. It’s also what helps save us from unnecessary suffering.

When you begin to operate from this new orientation, you begin to have a very different experience in your relationship to your business. It’s entirely possible to experience more time, money, and freedom while amplifying your results in a way that feels really, really good — and doesn’t require you to break down, to sacrifice your health or relationships, or to blow up your business because you can’t handle the stress (lesson learned from personal experience).

Seeing that everything is connected shifts everything for the better.

Carolina and I met by chance at an expats brunch here in Costa Rica. I began to work with Carolina in her bioenergetics practice to support my healing from my cancer scare and subsequent surgery.

Shortly after as she became aware of my background, Carolina asked me to support her in the growth of her business, as she was in a process of reimagining it after her recent move to Costa Rica from Canada.

As I experienced the effects of her work on not only my health but levels of energy, focus, and creativity, I got curious with how bioenergetics could support the entrepreneurial journey.

Carolina and I found a powerful way to combine our gifts, upleveling the impact we were able to previously make individually.

Together, we ran a few experiments with my consulting clients and had some nice conversations about what could be possible in terms of helping entrepreneurs experience the clarity, confidence, and purpose that is required to build the profitable business of their dreams — again from a place of understanding that everything is connected.

With this premise, we created an entirely new way of supporting our clients in their entrepreneurial success.

It’s not that you don’t use the gifts of your mind to create powerful outcomes; it’s just that now, your mind is working as part of a greater integrated system that includes the intelligence of the body and the heart.

It quickly became clear to both of us that we were being called forward into working together.

From this place of deep understanding and inspiration, Sacred Business Flow was born.

As we began to devise how to support our entrepreneurial clients, it became very clear that we needed to create a simple, easy-to-understand framework to follow.

We also knew it needed to be accompanied by a plan of action that would allow us to share these ideas with people who were tired of living a fragmented approach to life and business.

Over a period of about six months and many full weeks exploring the intersection of our work, we discovered the key components in building a harmonious life and business.

Carolina called these components frequencies.

We identified nine in total, which we would soon call The 9 Fundamental Frequencies of Sacred Business.

Each of these nine frequencies honor both the required structures for business success as well as the innate intelligence and guidance of the heart when operating from the understanding that everything is connected.

As we brought this work to our initial set of clients, we began to see just how powerful our combined work was in creating transformative shifts in a short amount of time.

Meet Ed Zaydelman.

Ed runs a successful business in Costa Rica called Live the Possibility where he helps his clients secure land and develop ecologically friendly projects such as retreat centers and community learning centers. Ed loves what he does, and his work has touched so many of the most well-known retreat and wellness centers across Costa Rica.

Ed was deeply passionate about his work, deriving joy from assisting others and sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience. However, his financial return did not reflect the value he provided, mainly due to an undervaluing pricing structure and excessive time commitment.

Ed’s disorganization and lack of consistency stemmed from a deeper disconnection caused by his past limitations and traumas. On a business level, this manifested as:

A chaotic website lacking clear navigation for potential clients to understand or engage with his services.
Every client intake being uniquely tailored and time-consuming communications, due to underlying anxiety and confusion, were repetitive and unfocused.
An outward generosity disrupted by an underlying need to feed his ego, revealing a disconnect between his intentions and actions.
Financial instability, alternating between sufficient and insufficient income

That last one in particular is a common thread for many heart-centered entrepreneurs, and it’s something the 9 Frequencies are designed to address.

In sum, his business challenges were deeply intertwined with a personal disconnection, affecting his ability to create a consistent, structured approach to both his life and business.

As we began our coaching work together, we deepened his personal connection and understanding of the interconnectedness of life and work in order to reshape his business.

Ed began by taking the Harmony Map Assessment to determine which frequencies were most seeking balance. For Ed, this was Connection, Simplicity, and Discipline.

By strengthening the Fundamental Frequencies driving Clarity, he was able to elevate his perspective and reconnect with a clearer vision.

This came in the form of breathing, bio-energetics, and mindfulness techniques that anchor Ed in the present, reducing his dependency on external validation.

Our holistic approach centered him, enabling him to slow down and curtail overthinking. All of this led to him streamlining his business operations.

As a result, he:

Created a newsletter that shared his unique message, employing a connection formula designed to attract and retain the ideal client base.
Developed a clean & user-friendly website that simplified the process for engaging his services.
Developed a process for efficient email list management and redefining a compelling signature offering, the “Land Accelerator.”
Corrected the undervaluation of his time by introducing a paid “Ask Me Anything” offer, leading to significantly increased revenue.
Created the “Land Stewards Alliance” group, leveraging his networking skills, leading to promising revenue growth with very minimal time investment.

These business insights above are a byproduct of unlocking clarity, confidence, and purpose. (For Ed, clarity was the main area that was lacking.)

Yes, structural reorganization was a major focus.

Yes, we optimized his calendar and established daily routines to enhance productivity and focus.

Yes, a meticulous booking flow helped optimize his time and energy.

But the inner work was the catalyst. All the strategy and insights come after that.

The business side of things often rests on a strong foundation of self-worth and alignment.

The outcomes have been nothing short of remarkable.

Ed launched a successful mastermind program, established clear boundaries between business and personal relationships, and embraced a straightforward communication style. His newfound clarity and self-driven confidence has made managing client and financial relationships more effortless, sparks great excitement for the future, lessens his need for external approval, all leading to more stable revenue streams.

All of this is a direct reflection of his commitment to cultivating a deeper, more interconnected state of being.

How can your life be sacred if 90,000 hours spent working are not?

The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work, which begs the question: Are you happy with how you are spending over one-third of your life?

If you’re hesitant to answer that question, you’re not alone.

The majority of people report they are not happy at the place they spend the majority of their time… Yet they find themselves repeating this routine every single day for a huge part of their life.

Massive disconnection from any sense of purpose.

If you’re still reading, you already know it doesn’t have to be this way.

Carolina and I believe that you are operating in your fullest expression when there is harmony between you, your business, and the divine.

A sacred act of co-creation.

When you are in touch with all three, the Sacred Business powerfully emerges.

It becomes an abundant source of personal fulfillment, while also being connected to something greater than you — a true gift to this world.

This is our mission here with Sacred Business Flow:

To support you in connecting with your essence and engage in the fullest expression of your heart’s desire.

Not only will you no longer feel alone in this space, you’ll realize you have the capacity to manifest all the continued support to move things forward powerfully and create the life of your dreams.

With this belief as the new foundation, it’s also our mission to support you in building a growth roadmap for your business that has the potential to outpace anything you’ve ever done.

We believe this is what freedom looks like.

A life free of compromise and full of joy, fulfillment, and adventure!

So where do you go from here?

This essay is Part VI of VII in the Sacred Business Manifesto: Everything Is Connected series.

Next in the series:
Part VII – Seeing the Pattern That’s Been Running Your Business

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Part VI: Disconnection Is Now Society’s…