What is mindful entrepreneurship?
Mindful entrepreneurship is not an exclusive club. But, in a room of business people, mindful entrepreneurs will find each other. (And no, it’s not because of the secret handshake.)
I think it’s because we value certain qualities that are as much to do with our inner lives as our business – like awareness, thoughtfulness and integrity. The intertwining of our business and personal journeys is obvious when we meet others like human beings (not networking robots), and when we speak with passion, and when we listen deeply.
For the mindful entrepreneur, business is about more than the bottom line (though being profitable is great too), it’s about expressing something of ourselves that also translates into something of value for the rest of the world.
The journey of mindful entrepreneurship (because it is a journey and not a destination) is different for each person. Here’s a bit about mine so far…
Act I: Mindful what?
For me, it started with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. At the suggestion of the usual self-help gurus, I imagined myself at the age of 80 and asked, ‘What have I done that makes me proud, and what have I left undone that I regret?’
I came up with a bunch of answers, one of which was to create something good with my writing that fosters (if only in a small way) clarity of thought, understanding and reflection. I already had a successful (by generally accepted social standards) career in management and corporate communications, so I decided I’d find my satisfaction with an after-hours enterprise – a blog about living with chronic illness.
At that time, I had no idea I had taken my first step towards leaving my job to start my own business as a freelance business writer.
Mindful entrepreneurship is about finding the work you are deeply called to do in your life, and doing it.
Act II: Getting mindful about myself
As I continued to do this work I felt called to do, I was learning a lot about myself. It slowly (very slowly) became apparent that there was an ocean of beliefs and assumptions and automated behaviours within me that I had never really explored, let alone questioned. So, I turned my attention within.
I realised that I was no longer happy with my corporate career, but that fear of what would come of breaking the ‘rules’ (you know the ones – be happy with what you have, work hard, play safe) kept me from even contemplating alternatives. I realised I wanted to escape the cubicle – not to do something that was so very different (still business writing), but to do it on my on terms.
Mindful entrepreneurship is about going within, acknowledging and working with your hidden (and not so hidden) patterns of thought and behaviour, and understanding how these impact on your success in life and in business.
Act III: Getting mindful about my business
Having made the discovery that I wanted to work for myself, and still beset with a lot of fear, I launched into researching all there was to know about being an entrepreneur: marketing, measurements, customer trends, competitive surveys, opportunity analysis, performance efficiency, strategic plans, operational objectives, SMART goals and everything in between.
I was making progress and getting clients, when I felt familiar sense of dissatisfaction. This time it came more sharply and with a specific question: where the hell was I headed and what was all this about?
While being consumed with working out where I wanted to be and how to get there, I had lost sight of ‘why’. So, I turned my attention to the heart of my business.
Mindful entrepreneurship is about understanding why your business exists, what need does it meet in the world, and how it is connected to, and driven by, your personal beliefs.
Still going…
So this is where I am now, and there are, no doubt, many more Acts yet to come. I’m going to be collecting them up and sharing them around on this site. I hope you’ll stop by and share your thoughts too.
