The chapter that wasn’t

As you probably have picked up by now, my book, Heart Centered Business: Healing from toxic business culture so your small business can thrive, is being released this coming Tuesday.

Whoa!! Eeeeek!

I want to tell you about the third chapter, because it was the chapter I struggled with the most. And there’s a big lesson here for your business, as well as any content you may be creating for it.

This entire book is based on one of our flagship courses that literally thousands of people have gone through over the years. But, of course, it goes much deeper and more thoroughly than the course could have.

All except the third class in the course.

Originally, the third chapter was supposed to be a deep dive into how to tell the difference between spiritual issues that need healing and business problems that need fixing. You see, so many of our clients over the years have struggled with the wrong one, and with a lot of wasted effort, exhaustion and self-judgment.

I struggled writing that chapter even though I’ve taught on it for a long time.

It took me awhile to get it, but eventually I stopped trying to write it, and settled into Remembrance. I was asking the heart of the book, and the heart of the chapter itself, what was going on.

This is something we teach, and it’s in the book for sure, that your business has a heart, as does any project you have, and you can connect with it as a separate beingness. You can listen to it. You can learn from it.

Sound woo? Well, sure, of course it is. But hey, we do spiritually-integrated business over here, and we’re not afraid of a little woo. And we do it because it’s absolutely real.

So… after settling into my heart in the Sufi practice of Remembrance (also taught in the book, with links to guided audio), I eventually saw something quite compelling.

That’s not what the chapter was supposed to be about. I was attempting to write the wrong chapter.

When I struggle with creating content, generally one of three things is going on. The first is: I’m depleted and need rest. That happens, and it’s not anything to do with the content. The second that might be happening is that I’m trying to get my arms around a new concept, and it’s taking some lifting, praying, contemplation, thinking to learn how to articulate it.

The third, however, is probably the most common: I’m trying to create content that’s not supposed to be created.

In the case of Chapter Three, it was this third reason that I saw. It wasn’t supposed to be in the book, and so it was resisting being written.

Okay then… when I finally identified the focus for the chapter, it flowed so much more easily. Yes, there was work to be done, but really, it was mostly –fwooosh–.

I offer this to you because if you’re struggling working on some aspect of your business, and maybe especially on content, I want to encourage you to stop and consider whether it’s one of these three reasons: (1) You’re depleted, (2) the thing is hard to do and is worth the effort, or (3) the thing is not supposed to be done, at least not right now.

Taking the time to discern this can save you so much stuckness.

About the Third Chapter

The third chapter ended up being about trust, specifically “You can be trusted with your business.” So many of our clients feel they can’t be trusted to make it work, that they don’t have what it takes. But they do, or can.

The chapter starts out with a misunderstood spiritual teaching about trust, and explains that love exists in the disconnect. I take us through the middle path of marketing, business versus spiritual (haha! it *did* end up in the chapter!), and about terrible, unethical business.

I wrap up the chapter with the relationship between strategy and heart guidance, and talk about the fact that there are no formulas, and what that means.

It all ends up being a deep healing about trust, trusting yourself, trusting your heart, trusting your journey with business.

It’s a beautiful chapter because the teachings I’ve been given are so beautiful to begin with, and the journeys my clients have been on with trust, as well as myself, over the last twenty years give the material a richness it needs to really heal.

The book will be released Tuesday, October 3. That’s in one week.

I’ve been asking folks to pre-order it, and to ask others to pre-order it. As you probably know, publishing is a game of popularity. A book that is slightly popular is bumped up to be made more visible. When that happens, more people buy it, which makes it more popular.

If you can help make this book popular, yes, it supports me, my family and the team, although indirectly, because there’s not a lot of money to be by the author made selling books unless we sell hundreds of thousands (a nice thought!).

But, what I’m concerned with now is making the topic more visible, of healing from this toxic business culture, and maybe healing the actual culture itself. We desperately need it, and I believe, and I’ve been told, that this book can add to it.

Here’s what a few people have said:
“Mark Silver is one of the rarest of guides who combines deep business knowledge and experience with liberatory values and spiritual practices. Heart Centered Business will show you that you do not have to trade your well-being, ethics or values to have a thriving and sustainable business.” – Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work and The Widest Net

“This is by far the best, richest, most compassionate and helpful guide to spirit-based business that I have ever read. It shirks nothing of the toxicity and danger of our current business environment, but also offers wise, deep and shrewd strategies and practices to avoid the prevailing darkness and make of business a lit radiating balance and justice.” – Andrew Harvey, author of Sacred Regeneration

“In this transformative book, Mark presents a new and liberatory perspective on work culture and offers practical strategies to counter oppressive work environments… Mark taught me years ago that every act of business is an act of deep love, while also teaching me real ethical skills and systems for managing and marketing my small business.” – Desiree Adaway, founder and principle of The Adaway Group

So, if you haven’t yet, and it’s possible for you, would pre-order a copy by Tuesday, October 3?

You can find where to pre-order it here, and/or download the table of contents and the first chapter:
Heart Centered Business

If you’re willing to spread the word, if you have a group, community or list that you’re willing to tell about it, I would be most grateful. And I’m absolutely willing to be interviewed, to show up on a podcast or other context gladly.

We’ve set up a page specifically to support people in spreading the word:
https://www.heartcenteredbusinessbook.com/help-promoting 

Thank you! And may you experience a deep sense of support in all you do as well.

with love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.