What is the passion that drives your business?
We asked this question of business owners at a recent OneGroup Leadership event in Penrith.
The responses inspired me. There was no mention of making lots of money or even having a more comfortable lifestyle. The responses were about making a difference in people’s lives and assisting others to achieve success.
The consensus in the room was that it is through service to others that we receive and have the potential to achieve success for ourselves.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
How can we apply this thinking to our business?
The first thing is to set the bar high for what you want to achieve in business. Having a high intention can help you persevere through the rough times. Ask yourself two key questions: What does success look like? And what does it mean for me to be successful?
Let me give you a simple example. My coach took me through the process of setting my intentions high for losing five kilos.
He started out by asking me what it would mean to lose five kilos. More energy I said. Through a process of enquiry, peeling back the layers of intention, we got to my ultimate motivation. Losing five kilos was not really about me. It was about serving others, more specifically being a better father to my daughter and a better husband.
Try this yourself or get a coach to help you. How high can you set your intentions for your business? Who are you serving?
What difference is your business making in the world?