Spirituality and entrepreneurship: Connecting the hidden dots
It is not every day that we talk about spirituality and entrepreneurship together – two things that do not in any way, seem connected. While spirituality involves being aware of our senses and beliefs and introspecting ourselves through practices like yoga and meditation, entrepreneurship is more about gaining practical experience and harnessing your tangible abilities to fulfil your business vision. It is in the pursuit of their very business goals that many entrepreneurs tend to drain themselves physically as well as mentally and this is where the idea of spirituality comes in!
While businesses are mainly about earning profits, their growth potential will be all the more immense if they start operating in a ‘conscious’ manner. Even though spirituality amongst business people is not so common, we can’t deny the fact that the world has had some great tech geniuses, who, attributing to their spiritual inclination, have been able to make ground-breaking innovations in their respective fields.
In her blog titled Spirituality in entrepreneurship: An introduction,Elaine Siu, an entrepreneur and a corporate and finance lawyer said that it was Bali, a place that was once a hub for spiritual seekers and the digital nomads she encountered there, thatshaped her original understanding of entrepreneurship. She believes that spirituality is about self-awareness, love and oneness and with that said, one of the spiritual rules she abides by and suggests others as well is to become a person of value rather than a person of success.
On the other hand, for RajatKhare, founder of Luxembourg-based Boundary Holding, yoga and meditation have prompted his spiritual growth which had a profound impact on his entrepreneurial career as well. “In our life full of hassles and everyday struggles, yoga brings focus and clarity and helps in making our visions clearer. It helps in balancing the emotions of ego and self-centredness – something which is very much needed for entrepreneurs,” he mentioned in his facebook page Rajat Khare Yoga.
In fact, in terms of happiness index at workplace, studies have shown significant differences between entrepreneurs who define success in relation to their spiritual growth and a sense of fulfilment and those who define success solely based on their financial achievements. Therefore, though little known, there is no doubt to the fact that spirituality and entrepreneurship are closely related and the success of aforementioned entrepreneurs is a testament to that.