Whenever I get frustrated that I’m not spending enough time on my own spiritual/personal work because I’m working so much on my business, the Universe has some way of reminding me that it’s right here.
The operation of my business IS my spiritual practice.
I’ll be coaching a client and hear myself telling her exactly what I myself need to hear in that moment.
Today, that came up when I recognized a major pattern of self-sabotage in myself by seeing it manifest in another’s business so clearly.
This is a successful woman who is very well known in the world of online business. She appears to have it all together and in so many ways she does.
But, when it comes to financial stuff, she’s got nothing set up. She just knows she’s got money coming in. Enough to cover current expenses.
And because she’s a master manifestor and is great at making exactly the amount of money she needs, she’s gotten by without financial systems up until now. Gotten by is the key word.
Despite the fact that she’s making good money (mid 6-figures), she’s always worried about money. (BTW, this is exactly why I created the Money Map.)
As a result, she has been unwilling to invest in hiring the right people. So she ends up disappointed in every person she hires. They never live up to her expectations.
Just this week she was interviewing a new potential team member and instead of hiring the $50/hour person with experience she chose the $15/hour person.
Her rationalization was that if she hired the $50/hour person her expectations would be extremely high and she’d likely be disappointed.
To avoid disappointment, she hired the $15/hour person with no experience.
Have you ever done that? I sure have.
It’s a form of sabotage. Setting ourselves up for disappointment. Hiring cheap instead of good because 1) we don’t know what we can afford and 2) we are making decisions based on patterns & conditioning – things we want to avoid (in this case disappointment based on our “too” high expectations).
Operating in the dark and taking actions to avoid disappointment instead of to evoke joy and excellence.
The antidote is awareness. Know what your business needs – both on the money side and the people side. Make projections for the future. Know what and who you need to run your life.
Know your numbers. Keep your eyes open.
Run your business with real conscious awareness and you will stop making self-sabotaging decisions from a place of fear and instead begin recognizing what’s real and true for you and your business.
It’s working for me. It’s not easy, I can tell you that. On a daily basis, I am tempted to make decisions from a place of fear, but I am consciously building the systems and processes into my life so I can break free.
3 Comments
Alexis, this is a valuable post because it shines the spotlight on being safe (allegedly) instead of going for it to achieve success. I believe your words were: “Operating in the dark and taking actions to avoid disappointment instead of to evoke joy and excellence.” That's a HUGE statement!
Great post Alexis! It says so much.
First of all in my mind there are many ways to use a spiritual practice. One way to practice is more like mindfulness meditation that allows us to step back and see clearly the inner workings of our historical programming, including our habitual thoughts and feelings. This kind of practice helps us build awareness, seeing when we are avoiding feelings and setting ourselves up for failure. Like most of us in our own way, your client was trying to avoid disappointment and of course as it is in consciousness actually created disappointing experiences therefore sabotaging herself.
Interesting to see how the hologram of life works. We see ourselves everywhere and can learn and also are reminded of what we know by everyone.
I think it is great how you see your wisdom and growth threaded throughout your day in your work. Besides the actual time we all see therapists, coaches and sit on our cushions, using our day-to-day life tasks is how we grow toward living an integrated life. It seems that part of the entrepreneurial longing is to have work connected with and a reflection of our essential self and as you said “operate a business as a spiritual practice.”
Thanks again,
Oohhh This is SO Relevant to where I am right now!! I just put an ad on Craigs list for the Executive Admin of my dreams – so far I have responses in the $9 – $35 per hour range – No one is the exact right fit for me – YET – but I can tell you what – I do know you get what you pay for! Thanks for the great reminder and for helping me to keep my EYES WIDE OPEN around $ and Hiring and all the other aspects of your wonderful LIFT Foundation work – you are doing a VERY BIG thing here Alexis – you know it and so do many others – keep bringing it girl – your illumination is invaluable!
Love lights us…. A