The
Art of Business
The False Dichotomy:
Business & Spirituality
by Ernie Spears
A common misconception these days is that you either have to be a businessperson
who wants to make money or a spiritual person who wants to make a difference.
The thought is, in order to be a spiritual person you have to live a
spiritual lifestyle and have a spiritual profession. One must be a social
worker, an environmentalist, a charity fund-raiser, a professional guru,
a recluse or someone like Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. Unfortunately,
along with the esteemed title of being “spiritual”, you are
also blessed with a job that is often thankless, overworked and underpaid.
The other side of the misconception is that businesspeople—people
who want to make money—are greedy, vain, superficial, uncaring,
and ruthless.
But there is another possibility beyond this stereotypical view: You
can be a businessperson and a spiritual person at the same time. You
can make money and make a difference. It’s all in the motivation.
What do I mean it’s all in the motivation? Let’s consider
the act of making money. Is making money inherently good? Or is making
money inherently bad? Of course, it’s neither. Making money is
just an activity, and what causes an activity to be good or bad is the
motivation behind the activity.
For example, if you are a person who wants to make money, and a lot
of it, with the motivation to create new jobs, train workers, give more
value to customers, innovate, or contribute to shareholder profits,
then the activity of making money is good. If you are a person who wants
to make money with the motivation to harm people by overworking your
co-workers, not paying them enough, lying to your customers, talking
badly about your competitors or damaging the environment, then the activity
of making money is bad. It all depends on your motivation. If your motivation
is to help other people then the activity is good; if your motivation
is to harm other people then the activity is bad.
“What does this have to do with me?” you ask. It has everything
to do with you, because it means that you don’t have to choose
between making money or being spiritual. You can do both by making sure
your motivation is correct. In other words, you can have your cake and
eat it too. You can be a successful businessperson and highly spiritual,
it just depends on your motivation. To have a correct motivation is
to have “helping others” in mind as you do an activity. Others
might include your customers, suppliers, shareholders, co-workers, family
members, and people worldwide who could benefit from your product but
who are not necessarily your customers.
Below are 10 Principles for Success that will help you foster a
“correct motivation.”
1. Enhance the Well Being of Others
2. Respect Your Financial Commitments
3. Act With Absolute Equanimity
4. Convey True Impressions
5. Bring People Together
6. Speak Professionally And Respectfully
7. Speak About Meaningful Things
8. Find Happiness in What You Have
9. Celebrate in Others’ Achievements
10. See the Hidden Potential of All Things
The activity of doing business is neither good nor bad: It is the motivation
that makes the difference. If a businessperson wants to be more spiritual
(or vice-versa) then he/she merely needs to correct his/her motivation.
It doesn’t necessarily matter what business you are in and it doesn’t
matter how much money you want to make; just make sure your activities
are based on helping others, and with this motivation your activity
will be transformed into a spiritual path filled with meaning and direction.
Ernie Spears is the CEO of the Enlightened Business Institute founded
by Geshe Michael Roach, author of The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on
Strategies for Managing Your Business and Your Life. To find out more
information about the institute, visit www.enlightenedbusiness.com
or call (914) 441-0011.
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