The Spirit of Your Business
By Heather Price
My intention here is to offer my own perception of what including spirit in everyday life and business may possibly look like, and to provoke thought, reflection, and higher enquiry around this fascinating topic.
It is often useful to begin with an agreed understanding in the meaning of significant words, and my research of the word spirit, can be traced back to the Latin word psyche, which means, “animating spirit”[1] . In it’s Greek translation, the word psykhe means “the soul, mind, spirit; breath; life, one’s life, the invisible animating principle of entity which occupies and directs the physical body; understanding”1
In our modern world, the word spirit is often associated to such things as sporting and academic arenas, representing the essence and energy that emulates from these arenas, creating a unique and well-known vibe or identity. Analyst and author Stamper[1] refers to this use of the word spirit as the élan, or the distinctive style or flair[2].
In the context of life and business, my own personal experience of spirit is varied and rich. I have found it to be the life-force energy, the aliveness, and enthusiasm, which drives one to seek and find, and to live one’s purpose. While essentially a life-force energy or driver itself, it can be said the spirit of something needs its own energy source to become spirited – this could be for instance the drive to love or be loved the desire to create joy, the drive to create wealth, or the drive to make a difference to the world. Therefore, it is wonderful to have a strong spirit as a driver to succeed, but there also needs to be a powerful vision, and the support of the visionary, to inspire the spirit to be strong and want to go out to the world to seek and find what is needed to create the vision itself.
So, one may ask, what can we use to fuel our spirit and keep our life-force energy, and that of our business, strong and alive, especially through challenging times? From my experience as a therapist for over fifteen years, there is no one answer to this question, however there is a great deal to be said in concentrating on being clear around a number of factors to assist this to happen, for yourself personally, and your business. I will attempt to name some of these factors here:
Know yourself well;
know what fills you up with energy and enthusiasm;
know what helps you to feel respected and loved;
know what you do best to assist others to feel loved and respected;
know what your natural gifts and strengths are, and what stimulates creativity in you;
know your learning and communication style so you can be sure you understand and are being understood;
know what you value most and least in the world;
know what you stand for and will stand by no matter what;
know where you and your ancestors have come from;
know and attempt to understand the universal laws of nature;
know the natural landscapes that you feel invigorated by and in tune with;
know the difference you make by being here – what you bring to the world;
know what triggers you, and what your shortcomings are;
know what beliefs limit you and where they come from;
know and believe in your dreams, and set clear goals around these;
and know your drivers that will assist you to fulfill your dreams...
This knowing will define who you are and clarify the nature of your own unique spirit. When you know these things, your spirit, and the spirit of all things you come in touch with be filled
with light and add to the Universal Spirit of Humanity and Existence.
By Heather Price
My intention here is to offer my own perception of what including spirit in everyday life and business may possibly look like, and to provoke thought, reflection, and higher enquiry around this fascinating topic.
It is often useful to begin with an agreed understanding in the meaning of significant words, and my research of the word spirit, can be traced back to the Latin word psyche, which means, “animating spirit”[1] . In it’s Greek translation, the word psykhe means “the soul, mind, spirit; breath; life, one’s life, the invisible animating principle of entity which occupies and directs the physical body; understanding”1
In our modern world, the word spirit is often associated to such things as sporting and academic arenas, representing the essence and energy that emulates from these arenas, creating a unique and well-known vibe or identity. Analyst and author Stamper[1] refers to this use of the word spirit as the élan, or the distinctive style or flair[2].
In the context of life and business, my own personal experience of spirit is varied and rich. I have found it to be the life-force energy, the aliveness, and enthusiasm, which drives one to seek and find, and to live one’s purpose. While essentially a life-force energy or driver itself, it can be said the spirit of something needs its own energy source to become spirited – this could be for instance the drive to love or be loved the desire to create joy, the drive to create wealth, or the drive to make a difference to the world. Therefore, it is wonderful to have a strong spirit as a driver to succeed, but there also needs to be a powerful vision, and the support of the visionary, to inspire the spirit to be strong and want to go out to the world to seek and find what is needed to create the vision itself.
So, one may ask, what can we use to fuel our spirit and keep our life-force energy, and that of our business, strong and alive, especially through challenging times? From my experience as a therapist for over fifteen years, there is no one answer to this question, however there is a great deal to be said in concentrating on being clear around a number of factors to assist this to happen, for yourself personally, and your business. I will attempt to name some of these factors here:
Know yourself well;
know what fills you up with energy and enthusiasm;
know what helps you to feel respected and loved;
know what you do best to assist others to feel loved and respected;
know what your natural gifts and strengths are, and what stimulates creativity in you;
know your learning and communication style so you can be sure you understand and are being understood;
know what you value most and least in the world;
know what you stand for and will stand by no matter what;
know where you and your ancestors have come from;
know and attempt to understand the universal laws of nature;
know the natural landscapes that you feel invigorated by and in tune with;
know the difference you make by being here – what you bring to the world;
know what triggers you, and what your shortcomings are;
know what beliefs limit you and where they come from;
know and believe in your dreams, and set clear goals around these;
and know your drivers that will assist you to fulfill your dreams...
This knowing will define who you are and clarify the nature of your own unique spirit. When you know these things, your spirit, and the spirit of all things you come in touch with be filled
with light and add to the Universal Spirit of Humanity and Existence.