Here we are, the end of December, and as we are on the verge of the new year, after I wrote about fix-it energy last week, there’s another dynamic that I thought it would be super helpful to be aware of in your business development.
That dynamic is the tension between healing versus “getting things done.”
I’ve seen people work hard at getting things done, and resist slowing down to do the emotional and spiritual healing work, thinking if they just work harder, it will all happen. Sometimes, it’s a way to hide out from the discomfort of what’s going on inside them, the emotions, the tangles, the challenges within.
When these folks do stop, and check in with their hearts, and bring loving, compassionate attention to the struggle, very often they find that those stuck places within themselves start to shift and heal. Painful strategies fall away, and things become easier.
I’ve also seen folks dive deep into the healing work, staying for weeks or months with particular internal issues. Sometimes, it’s a way to hide out from taking action, from a commitment and engagement with the physical world.
When they do start to implement, start to get things done, they find that things start to work, painful issues start to fall away. Things become easier.
Which is right? Healing? Or getting stuff done?
The beauty and joy, and the challenge, of being human, is that there is no formula. You can’t say, “always do the healing first,” because sometimes taking action is the step that helps reveal what healing is needed, and if you don’t take the step, healing can’t happen.
Similarly, you can’t always say, “Take a step, and the path will be revealed.” Sometimes you do need to get quiet, go within, slow way down, and stop trying to do, and let the healing clear your heart and the path for you.
You need both, one isn’t better than the other.
When we prioritize concrete action over internal healing, that is often how we go deeply astray from our own guidance, our own purpose, from the depth of Love.
At the same time, the idea that the internal healing is more important than the outer world leads easily to spiritual bypassing, and denies the sacredness of this beautiful creation we exist within and are completely a part of.
They are both important, equally. My Sufi sheikh taught that at deeper levels of awareness, there is no separation between the inner and the outer. That they are One, and the sacredness and beauty and love is available within and without.
So… what do you do with this?
On a practical level, there are two ways I ask people to relate to it.
One is listening. Are you being called to do deeper healing? Go there. Are you feeling the deeper movement to take action? Go there.
But, don’t go off of your immediate gut reactions, which can just be reactivity. Instead, pause, listen, feel, notice. What has that feeling of truth to it?
The second is even more practical. Do the unfamiliar.
Do you find that you have the habit of spending a great deal of time in inner reflection and healing work? Then, push yourself and try taking action instead. See what happens.
Do you find yourself usually taking action and working hard? Try stopping, not doing anything, and just being with the feelings in your being, in your heart. With gentleness, kindness, compassion and also a similar discipline to what you use to keep working hard, stay with what’s going on inside you, and ask, “Is love available even here?”
Questions to ponder for this new year.
What does the heart of your business, and your own heart, tell you about your relationship with healing and with action? What insight do you gain from this?
And, if you want, asking where do you fall on the spectrum of action/healing, especially in the realm of business? When you identify it, are you willing in this new year to lean into the unfamiliar to shake things up, and see what happens?
I’m so curious to hear what’s true for you.
with love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
When you need to depend on your business to support you. With love.
The Heart of Money & Power 2025
Join me for what will be the last Heart of Money & Power cohort for the forseeable future. Bring healing to those areas of your business and life that is most often skipped over: money and power.
There is so much in this world that is painful. And so much that is dysfunctional around money and power. If we’re going to bring love to each other, and to help make this better, and to see our businesses thrive, we need each of us to stand strongly in our own power, and to have a much healthier and honest relationship with money.
