Here in the U.S. it’s inauguration day for our incoming president and vice-president. And if current events are any indication, who knows what’s happening as you’re reading this. As I’m sure you’re aware, I write these things ahead of time, and so I’m in the same situation you are.
There’s a lot to be said about engaging in the world, and I want to share three thoughts.
The first is that it takes all of us speaking our values and stepping out to make change. But, there are many ways to do that, and not all of us are meant to be front line activists.
I’m sharing a podcast I heard from my friend, colleague, and (full disclosure) client Nicole Lee, who is a human rights lawyer, founder of the Black Law Project, and is the owner of Inclusive Life. A recent podcast of hers featured Deepa Iyer, who has come up with a brilliant model of engagement, naming different roles we have available to us.
I recommend the podcast, and the Inclusive Life email list, highly. Find the podcast here, scroll down to episode 7. [link: https://inclusivelife.co/podcasts/ ]
Secondly, I wrote about what I’m calling the Myth of Significance. I write more fully about it below.
Free webinar
But before I get to that, I want to mention that I want to hold a webinar on The Myth of Significance: How to engage with your business in times of unrest and overwhelm.
So much is asked of us in these times, it seems like more healing and awareness and clarity was needed. Clients are struggling to be productive, members of our Learning Community are struggling to be engaged, and just generally the conversation is one of finding it hard to be productive, when being productive is actually really important, because it’s your business.
That’s what I want to address in the webinar, three important teachings that can help you engage with your business even with everything that is going… without sticking your head in the sand.
January 27, 2:30 p.m. eastern.
If you’re interested, the webinar details are here. Please share as widely as you like. There will be no selling on the webinar, it’s just meant as a way to support us all.
About the Myth of Significance:
Beloved: There is a “myth of significance” operating in the western psyche, and especially in modern, pop-spirituality and business circles, that tells you that your individual efforts should somehow be as significant as the larger global events going on around you.
This is a lie.
Small efforts done with great love, as Mother Teresa, among others, have advocated, are tremendously important.
Small businesses done with great love add up to something extremely significant, though each one is apparently, and in reality, quite small.
Most of the “guru” businesses you watch, even the ones that seem quite large, are tiny. My parents had a retail store that was my grandfather’s before them, that did seven figures a year in revenue, and it was significant in its way, but just another storefront in Washington, D.C.
Even if a business is doing seven figures, and employing a double-handful of people, that is tiny. Significant, lovely, tiny.
Don’t be ruled by the myth of significance. Don’t think your business of the heart doesn’t matter just because it isn’t individually, on its own, as big as the events of the day.
We all need each other, to weave together the beautiful world we know is possible.
With love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
