There is one major obstacle that business owners face as they embark on the path of conscious entrepreneurship. Actually, this obstacle is not limited to business owners; it is an epidemic that affects human beings across the planet. As a practitioner who owns a private practice, this obstacle is likely to be much more magnified than it is for the normal person. In order to become fully conscious and balanced as a business owner, you must meet this obstacle head on and learn how to free yourself from it, or else it will literally undermine every aspect of your business and life in general.
I believe that holistic practitioners are some of the most evolved, caring, and committed people on the planet. Even so, this obstacle tends to show up in both subtle and dramatic ways for just about all of us. What exactly is this obstacle? Let’s get to that in a minute. First, take a look at the following statements and see if you can relate to any or all of them:
- My practice growth always feels slower than I’d like. Inevitably I find myself frustrated about this.
- I often feel exhaustion or burn out in my work and am not sure what to do about it.
- My life and work feel out of balance.
- I often wonder if I offer any real value to my clients or if my work serves any greater purpose.
- I just don’t feel as inspired as I’d like to when it comes to building my practice.
What is the main obstacle that all of these statements boil down to? Attachment.
More specifically, they are all signs of attachment to the limited and conflicted part of ourselves that is always struggling to get to where we think we should be. In many meditative traditions, this aspect of self is called the ego. In my book The Purpose Principle, I call it the small self. We all have one and, unless we are highly conscious and committed to freedom, we are all enslaved by it to some degree.
In order to experience boundless success and freedom in our work, we have to be willing to see with utmost clarity and honesty how we are limited by the ego. This is the place within us that:
- perpetually worries
- incessantly ruminates
- feels contracted and stagnant
- resists what is happening in the present moment
- has no interest in change
- is more concerned with the past and future than right NOW
- puts money before everything else
- feels like we need to give too much
- gets stuck in poverty mode
The list of ego-based qualities goes on and on. The irony is that holistic practitioners often possess something that is so valuable to others, but they are the last ones to see it! Often times, they buy into the belief that being humble means that our needs come last or that we should not really allow ourselves to see the amazing and wondrous skills and talents we possess. Because of this, they charge too little, spend too much time with their clients, and feel drained by their work. This is just one way that the ego can undermine our practice success and quality of life.
What I encourage you to do right now is to assess for yourself what your perceived limitations are, both internal and external. What is holding you back? What belief systems are you buying into that are keeping you in a constant state of stress, anxiety, or frustration? Whatever you come up with, this is exactly where you have allowed your ego to dictate how things will unfold.
In my book The Purpose Principle, I spend quite a bit of time discussing how most of us get caught in a vicious cycle of repeating the same thoughts, behaviors, and actions over and over — and because of this, we keep getting the same results. Same number of clients, same income, same stressors, and so on. The ultimate question is, what will it take for you to break free of the cycle of repetition so you can blow the roof off of your previous reality and experience a refreshingly new way of perceiving yourself and your role in this life?
In many of the ancient spiritual traditions, particularly in the Buddhist tradition, there is only one word that can help us in this regard. Space.
When you let in space, you are essentially surrendering any and all attachment to what you think, feel, or believe to be true– the good and the bad. You are no longer buying into your habitual thoughts and perceptions which, up until this point, have been the primary source of any and all stagnation in your life. You are letting it go, possibly for the first time ever.
Interestingly, allowing in space can be an almost effortless process. Why? Because space is our natural state. It is an endless resource within each of us that can not be damaged or victimized. There is one main factor that will determine how much space we contact, and that is willingness.
Without a sincere desire to experience our unlimited potential, we will forever reenact and repeat the same cycle of cause and effect.
I will spend more time in the next edition talking about how you can work with and free any and all obstacles that are preventing you from living your fullest life and enjoying the most bountiful practice that you’re capable of. Until next month, just remember- you have a choice to bring space to each moment. You can commit right now to diffusing the momentum of habitual ways of being.
My book The Purpose Principle has 244 pages of information on this topic. It is a great resource for both you and your clients. You can check it out at http://www.buildyourdreampractice.net/purpose
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