I am a bit sick of hearing how going into business is the greatest personal development experience. I will explain why…
- Everything is personal development
- BUT affirming business is your BIG personal development ground is such an unhelpful affirmation.
- What it is really saying is being in business means having crisis after crisis is OK and justified, – your nightmare and a marketers dream!
- What it is really saying is being in business means having crisis after crisis is OK and justified, – your nightmare and a marketers dream!
I just cannot agree with that or support it.
Business is…
- A vehicle to making money
- Where you would like to be creating an impact
- Your key to creating a lifestyle of your dreams and…
- Maybe how you get to change the world…?
Do you think the likes of Richard Branson and Warren Buffet went into business so they could develop personally or make money…?
It’s quite interesting when you look at it like that don’t you think? Of course they like anyone have grown through their business and maybe because of their business but they did not hold the intention or affirmation that going into business was a good way to deal with growth and personal development. NO! NO! NO!
In fact it is a very dangerous to affirm going into business is all about your personal development. Like I share, all of life is about growth, it happens consciously or unconsciously, from beginning to end.
Yet – when you are in business if you decide that your lack of self-esteem, or confidence or inertia or fear of success needs to be wrung out and dried on the public line it is no surprise really that you find yourself in struggle.
If you identify areas for growth that require more understanding and then go do something about them as well as staying focussed and present in your business, that is a win:win situation. You are taking care of your personal development growth outside of your business and not blaming your business, which is an energy you need to avoid.
Playing it out in your business is bad for business!
Business is where you have the potential to shine and grow. Business is not the place to experience pain and lack of self-esteem, money, clients or anything else – if that is happening you indeed need to grow so your business can net you the results it was supposed to.
If you believe business is what causes your personal development growth or breakdowns you will immobilise yourself and distance yourself from business and success. You will also get caught in a rut in your business and in a trap with business coaches who pray your own your weakness and fear as they will make you dependent on them. After all you have been affirming that personal development issues are because you chose to go into business, so you will attract people into your life who share this and thrive off it.
Just to be clear, I know business may make you grow but going into business is not driven by a desire to grow, that is the nuance that makes a whole world of difference, small but incredibly significant!
The reason you grow through personal development is because that is how life works.
The reason you go into business is to be a success.
Try living by those truths and see your business and life change.
Good advice Sarupa. You should never write something off as good experience, that’s a cop out. You can reflect upon it in your retirement. You don’t hear Branson say he was depressed for months after something fails do you?
Hi Sonny. Welcome back. And exactly. 😉
Customers are not there to be practised upon, save your roleplay for your team mates. If you are not role-playing and rehearsing then you are practising on your customers and that’s not what they are paying for is it? When you start short-changing your customers then your business is in trouble.
I think a lot depends on what sort of business you’re in. If it’s an entirely commercial exercise, then personal development and business growth / delivery of service to customers are two entirely different things and should be kept separate.
But what about people who earn their living from more cerebral, spiritual activities – perhaps even like yours, Sarupa – in which personal development is an intrinsic part of enhancing the “product offering?” These people are running businesses, too.
Hi Suze. I’m not suggesting personal development isn’t a good business to be in. Just as a business owner it’s not the reason for entering into business or a core purpose of being in business, to use it as your own personal development playground. Sort out your stuff outside of business so you can make business whatever you do your place of shining not falling apart …
i like your post…..this totally about business and it’s advantages and disadvantages….you define the business to it’s optimum level…..you also given a look of business…..things which are right for business and are not also define in post…
Some really sage advice Sarupa! Personal development is important but you should not use your business as a the testing ground for this. Thanks for bringing this to light.
Hi Shelley, you are welcome and I couldn’t agree more…the energy of business is very clear spiritually speaking…and time we accepted it 😉
Great post Sarupa,Although am an ardent student of building yourself through your business,I’ve also realized that I’ve actually grown through reading self-development books and attending seminars and not through my business.
You actually hit the nail on the head. Thanks for the post.
Arewa Lanre-The Grand Master
Thanks Arewa…and indeed keeping growth and development always stoked means you can avoid some of the business melt downs that can happen when fear of not being good enough, will anyone want what I have to offer kick in…great to have you stop by and share your thoughts! Thanks 😉
I think most of the really successful entrepreneurs go into business in order to offer a service, and employment. Of course they must make money if their businesses are to thrive, and be improved.
Being in business can assuredly be a path to personal development, so long as you don’t go ‘nuts’, but I agree it certainly isn’t a reason for going out on a limb with a new venture 🙂
Hi Stephen, thanks for stopping by and yes business is not the reason we grow, we grow because that is how life is designed…so best to keep the energy of business focused on what it is here to do… 😉
I believe that business and life in general are the perfect arenas for experiencing personal development in action, without which it just becomes theory. Each time we step out, test something new, fail and move forwards, we grow as people and entrepreneurs. This is real “personal development” not an intellectual activity we reserve for the safe spaces in our lives.
Hi Tehmina, thanks for stopping by to comment…I hear you 100% … and growth is all the time…just I prefer not use or recommend business as a place to identify and then melt down as I see so many do…identify and then do something about it and maintain the integrity and energy of why you went into business, to make money, create an impact…change lives and maybe the world…of course you will grow you cannot not grow but do it consciously and not in a battle within your business…as that is in my perception just bad for business…and for the individual who believes business is synonymous with personal development…it’s about intention and affirmation which ultimately will create the experience… 😉
You did a great job with this post Sarupa! I do know a few people who dwell on their business as being personal development and I fo one agree with you . Life is all about personal development not just because you have an online business to support others!! Thanks for sharing Sarupa. Chery 🙂
Hey Chery…thanks and yes yes yes!
It’s similar to tying our sense of success to mainly or only, money. That’s a much of crap too. We all have a different level of money that we might have in our mind that, it is success.
Loved this post. Thanks.
You are welcome Patricia and welcome back!
Sarupa,
I agree that business may or may not be an avenue for personal development. There are many business people who have created a huge financial success, maybe even helped to change the world, but their family life and intimate relationships are in shambles. Did they develop personally – probably not. They have developed their business skills and maybe their sales and conversion techniques.
However, as a person coming from academia, a steady dependable paycheck and steady, dependable additional courses for supplemental income, I can share that being an entrepreneur is deifnitely a growing experience. It helps us to see what aspects of our business skill sets may need improvement. It also requires developing a thicker skin and patience and lots of other specific qualities. So it is mind-expanding for those who came from secure “jobs.”
But as a psychotherapist and relationship healer, I know that there is nothing like good old down and dirty counseling, exploring your personal family scenario and your intimate relationships to recognize patterns and overcome lifelong fears and roadblocks to personal success and fulfillment.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Your quote: “The reason you go into business is to be a success.” Oh My Gosh! So obvious and yet so important! Like you said, it’s a subtle but powerful difference. It is so very, very sad that in network marketing there is this HUGE emphasis on personal development, but oftentimes, very little emphasis or training on Business Development. It’s all about reading Napoleon Hill, Jim Rohn, Dennis Waitley, etc. All great stuff. But, if you’re in network marketing the majority of your training should be on how to approach and recruit potential distributors and preferred customers! As your article implies, the majority of your time and effort should be on Business Building and Money Making activities, NOT personal development. Now in the course of building your business and engaging in money making activities you may need help in dealing with different personalities, managing your time and your attitude, etc. But, your first focus should be on building your business and your livelihood. Period.
Hi Jim, thanks for stopping by and commenting! certainly agree in business your focus would be best spent in business…nothing wrong with personal development per se, it happens through life and you can be conscious about growing – just don’t have those meltdowns in business and start to murky the energy of business as a personal development excuse…it all gets way to misaligned… 😉 Sarupa x
Hi Sarupa,
Thank you for this awesome post.
People ought to realize that personal development starts along the way as we grow up. Even during school days, we were already taught to participate in debates, took part in concert, story telling etc etc but when we are independent and in business, we should know that personal development is something we need to develop on daily basis. To grow ourselves, we need to keep learning but not to blame on business if they don’t do well.
People must know these are two different subjects all together but in my opinion, they go hand in hand ! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your awesome post, Sarupa ! 🙂
Cheers
Pearly
I’ve rarely found people who go into business for the goal of being developing personally. Most go into it for the right reasons. But then their “stuff” comes up. And you know how we are with “our stuff”. There becomes a need to rationalize the stuff and rationalize continuing to go through the struggles of business at the same time. This tends to cause the business to get reframed in the way a person thinks about their business. Indeed it’s true for me that my business is one of the elements that contribute to my personal development – and demand my personal development for it to thrive – yet it certainly isn’t the reason I have a business or even my key focus in my business!
Kim
Hi Sarupa. I just found your blog and I have to say I love your passion and enthusiasm. I agree that it is very dangerous to get into business purely for the purpose of Personal Development. I believe that getting into business has to be about wanting to deliver value and help people. I do also believe that business is the ultimate personal development as it will stretch you so much further than most areas of life. I think where we agree is on the fact that you need to be getting into business because you want to serve and not because you want to grow yourself. Growing yourself is a by-product of serving and getting amongst people. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Indeed – I love how you say it – it is a byproduct of being in service. Beautifully put! Thanks for taking the time to comment – it means a lot! Sarupa