Success: Profit Or Purpose And Personal Fulfilment?
One of the contributors to Successful Women In Business
Introduction
Thesaurus: Synonym of Success – Prosperity
“Prosperity doesn’t mean that you will have wealth, health and happiness. The best way to explain prosperity is to say it is like when a rosebud flowers and opens up, and it shares its fragrance. That’s the moment, which lasts a few days, when a rose flower is prosperous. When a man or woman is prosperous, it is the fragrance of security, grace, depth, character, and truthfulness that a person can share. Like a candle emits light, a human emits prosperity.”
A quote from Yogi Bhajan, the Founder of Kundalini Yoga 12/26/97 from
“Success and the Spirit: An Aquarian Path to Prosperity”
What is success?
From a young age we are programmed to think of success in monetary terms, in terms of wealth and financial prosperity. We are accustomed to think that a CEO of a Corporation or a Self-Made Millionaire has achieved more success than we have because they have gained position, influence and affluence.
At school we strive for the best exam results; not only in Australia but all around the world, students sit for their final high school certificate (High School Certificate or equivalent) at aged 17/18; the results that arrive in an envelope at the end of their education is considered the reflection of their entire school career and define how successful they have been.
After school many of us will aim for the best university to study for the best course that will get us the best career. We’ll want the best job that will lead us to the best promotion and the highest salary. We’ll want the best partner, the best house in the best street. We’ll then repeat the cycle through our kids hoping they’ll achieve more than we did. This is how we measure our success.
There is nothing wrong with any of this provided we don’t lose sight of the end goal. That end goal has to be personal fulfilment and a life of contentment. That is true success. Easier said than done one might assume, but if we go within ourselves to discover our life’s purpose then the end goal will be within our grasp.
It would be fascinating to survey CEOs of top corporations as to whether they feel have reached a level of success or whether they are continually striving to reach that level. In their search for success are they in fact working such long hours at the detriment of everything else in their life that real success will never be theirs?
It is time we measured success in different terms – in terms of fulfilment through your work and in terms of finding joy in what you do. Let’s talk about a successful business owner as one whose mission is to make a positive change in the world, be it within their community or even on a global level.
We generally believe a company to be successful if it has achieved profitability and growth. But how often does a corporation achieve that success, without consciously considering its company ethos and culture amongst its staff? How often do corporations take from staff, suppliers and even their customers in search of that bottom line profit margin but give very little back? A truly successful company is one that recognizes the value of partnerships with its suppliers, staff and customer base, not one that exists solely for soaring profit margins. In the world of retail, there is a growing movement away from fast fashion and an industry that has profited from the spoils of factory slave labour to achieve its success.
Conscious Consumerism is a flourishing trend that is prompting major retailers to develop ethical practices and to invest in sustainable production methods.
This has been the background to the creation of Temples and Markets, an online store I founded in early 2015. I wanted to create a business that provided an enjoyable buying experience at every point for the customer; one that provides the customer with the added halo effect that when they shop they are doing some good in the global community. It is in essence what I call the Win-Win effect.
To read more of Judith’s chapter pickup your copy of Successful Women In Business today and let some brilliant women in business minds inspire you.
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