Conscious Business: A new Story.

We humans have always understood ourselves and our reality through story.

All cultures have their myths, fables and parables. Our modern culture is no exception- it’s told us stories about who we are, how we should relate to the earth and what constitutes success. The story goes that GDP, income averages and profit margins are measures of success and happiness. It says we’re separate; from fellow humans and the world around us. It says we’re evolutionarily-inclined towards selfishness and competition. This way of seeing ourselves and the world has been devastating not only for the planet, but for the human spirit. The growing consciousness movement invites us into a completely different story- one that you’ll find feels familiar to some deep part of you. This story holds that every being and earth process is connected, and therefore every decision impacts our collective whole. It tells us that the earth is living. Conscious business is a way to enact this new story.

So how exactly does conscious business differ from run of the mill business?

Conscious businesses are ones driven by people, the planet and profit, rather than focussing solely profit. They emphasize our species’ talent for cooperation, rather than the old paradigm’s emphasis on competition. They adopt an abundance mindset, rather than a mindset of scarcity.  Perhaps most importantly, it’s a model that recognises and takes responsibility for the power business has to change the very fabric of society and create a more beautiful world.

The conscious approach to business also makes good business sense.

People, especially Millennials, want to support and work for businesses that stand for something more than just quarterly earnings. This means businesses built to align with this story of our fundamental connectedness are becoming more successful in the marketplace. Furthermore, business operating in this sphere of expanding consciousness are inevitably cutting edge. When we open ourselves up to increase our awareness we engage in co-creation with the collective whole, putting us in touch with fresh ideas and perspectives and enlarging the scope of our imagination.

Modern science is now confirming what mystics and spiritual teachers have been saying for centuries. We are, in fact, not separate entities, but a part of a whole. And like all species, we were created with gifts necessary for the health and development of the whole. Conscious business asks us to determine that gift, to ask ‘how can I live in a more life giving way?’ It is from this authentic soul searching that we determine our business mission, values and vision. Importantly, conscious business offers ideas and solutions, rather than the condemnation and guilt that has too often characterized the environmental movement. It is this synthesis of authenticity, passion and hope that empowers conscious business to create genuine change.

Here, on the brink of environmental collapse, we are being asked to inhabit a new story of who we are and what our relationship is to the rest of life. Conscious business offers the perfect vehicle for living that new story, allowing us to highjack the existing capitalist, free enterprise paradigm, and transform it into a force for good. A business must of course consider profit in order to be viable, but for a conscious entrepreneur, building a business is about so much more. Purpose driven, value orientated and heart centred, conscious business is a powerful means of being of service to the world, and to life.