I've noticed a new trend in business. More and more successful CEOs are adapting a positive attitude and moving into "prosperity consciousness." Yes, I know, it seems a bit "woo woo," and yet it's true.
The original mission of my company, Essential Selling was to transform lives while proving that the selling process can be fun. I have since refined my mission to add the concept that business owners can lead with their hearts and prosper at the same time. This means operating from our core beliefs and passions.
According to Eric Butterworth, in his book, Spiritual Economics: The Principles and Process of True Prosperity, "Prosperity comes from the Latin root which literally translates: "according to hope" or "to go forward hopefully" thus it is not so much a condition in life as it is an attitude toward life. The truly prosperous person is what psychologist Rollo May calls "the fully functioning person."
Taking this to its logical conclusion, a truly prosperous business then becomes a fully functioning one. It might seem strange to adapt an 'attitude' of prosperity and incorporate that into your business, but it really does make sense. After all, the definition of hope is "a state of being and believing," and we all know that every success story starts with belief.
It seems that in order to be successful, and wildly so, we must adopt an attitude of prosperity while infusing passion into the business. Even with all the focus in the media on the recession and the unstable state of the world economic situation, there are a lot of companies doing quite well. In fact, some of the CEOs I speak with are making more money now than ever before.
According to Richard Branson in the forward of The New Secrets of CEO's: "One of the most impressive developments within businesses today is the belief that to truly become a successful, thriving company (whether that be a company of 10 or a global company employing 50,000 people) you have to place corporate responsibility and sustainability at the heart of your business."
"I never went into business solely to make money," he says. Yet, by following his heart, or more likely leading with it, Sir Richard Branson is still making money and having a lot of fun!
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Ellen Rogin, co-author of Great With Money; The Women's Guide to Prosperity. Ellen has spent the last 20 years in the financial services industry. Ellen and I have had several conversations about this concept of leading with one's heart in business and the idea that prosperity is an "attitude."
Ellen has noticed that when she moves forward with belief and hope while focusing on what she loves to do, she prospers, no matter what the financial indicators predict. This is working for her clients as well as the people who have read her book!
In her book, Great With Money she devised 'The Prosperity Circle Strategy', a combination of actions such as clearing clutter or exploring beliefs. Her technique helps people shift their attitudes around money and teaches them how to be 'great with money.' The idea is that if we focus on good things we actually see more good things. If you've ever bought something special, for example, a brand new red car, and then you notice you're seeing more and more red cars; you've experienced this principle first hand.
For the past few years, Ellen has been following her love of speaking and writing. At first she was unsure how this would provide an income for her, but she went for it anyway. The more she focused on doing what she loved, the more profitable it became. Ellen is now taking on the financial services industry as a whole, speaking to financial professionals and sharing "The Prosperity Circle" with them.
One might ask if being successful hinges on an attitude and shift in focus? More than likely the answer is yes! In her book, Ellen states, "After many years of practical experience counseling our clients on their financial, business and estate planning needs, we understand that being truly great with money means having a prosperous mindset and confident approach to money rather than an amount of money in the bank or specific investments in a portfolio."
With a slight shift in perspective, it seems that the journey becomes a prosperous and enjoyable one and the outcome of financial abundance is a given. Why not enjoy the journey and believe that prosperity is here for you now, no matter what?