There are plenty of articles on how to motivate yourself, or stay motivated, on the internet if you look for them.  But there is one thing that spiritual business people need to do before any of these, and that is not ‘do’ anything.  Yes.  Just stay in the place you are at, that place of ‘can’t be bothered.’  It’s possible this might be a bit frightening; after all, you might go into that place and never get out of it. But it’s that fear that is causing some of the problem in the first place. This conscious ‘not doing’ is the first step of four that allows you to become inspired, rather than motivated, and then allows you to take steps forward that feel entirely natural, rather than forced in any way.

Step One: Stop

Take your courage in both hands and simply stop – wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, even if it’s just lolling around feeling guilty that you’re not doing anything. Stay with the feeling of lethargy, or apathy or whatever you have labelled it. By ‘doing’ this, you give your heart a chance to speak, your soul a chance to say ‘hallo,’ and your connection to universal energy to therefore be felt.

Step Two: Be Still

Be still for long enough to have a sense of what your heart and soul have to say to you. Being still is often a challenge in our society, particularly in our working world, where constant activity is applauded and recognised. I heard the other day of someone who expected his volunteer labour force to work from 9-3pm without a break.  OK, they then received a great lunch, and a long rest, but those six hours of constant physical work was too much. Not surprisingly, the volunteers didn’t last very long, causing high turnover of people with all the attendant problems that brings. Being still doesn’t necessarily mean your physical body, although that is often the case. It is really referring to stilling the activity of the mind, and this sometimes happens through physical exercise, or as a result of that.  So just see which kind of ‘being still’ appeals to you.

Step Three: Listen

Make sure you listen out for the messages from your heart. These may come in many different ways, and it’s helpful to know how they may present, so you can identify that this is a communication from your heart or soul. You might notice that a thought, seemingly unconnected to anything, pops into your head. Or maybe your eyes will get attracted by something particular that suddenly has meaning for you.  This happened for me recently, when I was eating with some friends and took some time out from the conversation; in that moment, my eyes travelled to my bookcase where I was drawn to a particular book which I haven’t looked at for at least 15 years.  Later, reading it, I found the perfect passage to help me with what I was feeling at that time.

Perhaps you’ll ‘hear’ words, as if spoken inside your head.  Some people find communication happens when they start writing; others use the power of images to help them hear their heart. If you haven’t done this ever, then you can ask your unconscious to give you an image of where you are at in your business, and see what that represents for you. Maybe you’ll just feel an inner nudge, or an impulse, or a good feeling about something.  And it’s possible that none of these will happen, in which case wait longer, if you can.

I have sometimes played with this idea of waiting at a weekend, deliberately setting up a day without any commitments, and then waiting to see what happens when I wake up.  How long does it take to get out of bed when you don’t have to (I don’t count the need for bathroom or food, these are simply survival needs)?  What exactly is it that motivates or inspires you to get out of bed at all?  It’s an interesting exercise to do, just to watch with curiosity, and no judgment.

Step Four: Act

This is where many people fall down. Having stopped, been still, listened, then it is time for action. But how many times have you had an idea, been inspired to carry it out, but then got distracted?  It’s the taking of the action that is required for that original heart inspiration to become manifest in the physical world.  So watch out for falling at this final fence. If you have been courageous enough to take the previous three, then follow through and take even just the first step necessary to have your inspiration become reality.

And there you are – that ‘can’t be bothered’ feeling has been given breathing space, and then metamorphosed into something else. Remember that the next time you’re overcome with lethargy, and see what action wants to emerge from you, rather than you trying hard to motivate yourself.

However, firstly you have to become comfortable with it. It simply doesn’t work if you yourself feel uncomfortable. If you’re not used to it, I suggest that you actively seek it out. Here’s some suggestions:

a) Switch off all background noise, and sit silently for just a few minutes.  Focus on the silence itself. Notice what you can and can’t hear, and identify it.  Pay attention to your body, and the feelings you notice within it – where they are, what kind of feelings, how strong they feel.  Be curious, not judgmental.

b) Visit a Quaker meeting.  Quakers,  or the Society of Friends, hold meetings for worship all over the world on Sundays. Their meetings are an opportunity to sit in silence with others, all quietening their minds so that the ‘voice of God’ can be heard. Traditionally, they got their name ‘Quakers’ because of the feeling of quaking that came over the body when it was felt strongly that something needed to be said. So occasionally you will hear someone stand up and say something. But it is a lovely opportunity to experience silence in the presence of others.

c) Go outside in the countryside.  Stop, be still and listen. What you might have thought was silence will, once you focus, probably be full of the sounds of nature. Experience how this is, and play with finding quiet times outside.  Hint: when it’s snowy, there is a particular quality to silence that is very beautiful.

But once you’ve become comfortable with it, how do you use it in your business?  I’ve identified three ways where being silent is likely to produce better results than if you open your mouth and speak, or listen to your busy mind chattering away.

1. When making decisions
Take time to be still and silent when you have decisions to make. Within that silence, ask your heart what it wants to do. Bring it to consciousness and see how it feels if you follow your heart’s advice, as opposed to simply your head’s. Or perhaps there is a way to bring both head and heart together.

2. When negotiating
Traditionally, you may have learnt that it is a good idea to keep your mouth shut when negotiating a deal with someone. It certainly can be used as a tactic to make someone else feel uncomfortable – the first to break the silence can often be perceived as the ‘loser.’ But if you approach negotiating from a ‘win-win’ perspective, and are comfortable with silence, your intention in using it comes from a very different place.  No manipulation, simply stating your case and waiting to see how the other person responds. There is a clarity and clean-ness in this kind of communication, and that kind of energy is picked up by all parties. It allows for a real feeling of delight and possibility to come forth.

3. When stating your fees
This is a thorny issue for many people. If you state your fees, and are either not comfortable with your rates, or with maintaining silence, then you will either rush the whole communication, thereby creating muddled energy in your relationship with your potential client or customer; or you will ‘fill the gap’ that naturally comes after stating your fees – with explanations, justifications, and sometimes even offering discounts before your prospect
has had time to say anything!  What I recommend is firstly, getting comfortable with your fees, and secondly, with silence. Then state your fees and keep your mouth shut!

I had reason to admire the undertaker recently when he visited to discover what was wanted for Philip’s funeral. He laid out what would happen, then stated his fees. I burst into tears, really shocked at how high it was, I’d had
no idea. Then I said tearfully ‘I don’t want to pay that much for something I don’t want!’  What did he do? Kept silent (probably had quite a lot of practice!). Even in my distress I noticed this — part of me could see that he was simply doing his job, and he didn’t make an already painful situation worse by justifying his prices. Even in that moment, I was grateful for how he conducted himself.

So, if silence is not your forte, then practice! Even just a couple of minutes a day of consciously listening to the silence, or creating it around you, will help you make big strides towards being able to use it more successfully in your business.

What? Surely that’s what we all do – take action based on what we believe or think.  That’s how the whole world operates, isn’t it?  You have a thought, if you have many similar ones it usually turns into a belief, and then you take action accordingly.  It happens all the time – just earlier today I wanted to print something on better quality paper. I loaded the paper, assuming that I would press the buttons and it would print.  What actually happened though, was that the printer got well and truly jammed with a piece of scrap paper that I hadn’t noticed was there.  So although I believed that it would work (and it often does), it didn’t this time.

Normally I would feel exasperated about this, frustrated at having my time taken up by trying to sort it out.  But this time, I noticed what was happening; realised the assumption I had made and laughed at myself.  So, I have to get the printer sorted?  How do I know that this is not the most perfect thing that could ever happen on this day?  How do I know that by having to get someone to fix it (it’s a big paper jam!) that that will not lead to me meeting someone who might have a profound effect on my business?

The truth is I don’t know.  I don’t know, you don’t know, we don’t know.  We all act as if we do of course, and then when things don’t go according to plan, or what we believe ‘ought’ or ‘should’ happen, we get all upset and emotional.

I wonder — is there another way? If you were to allow in the possibility of other things happening than what you think ought to happen, could that in fact be very beneficial for you?

This is what was the basis of my article at this time last year, when I announced I was not setting goals.  It’s a very radical idea, as goal setting has been proven to work – if you set a goal there is a 75% greater chance of you meeting it than if you never set a goal at all.  But goals often do not leave any room for movement; for circumstances changing; for personal or spiritual growth. And I have found that for many people, the consequences of not meeting your goals (which happens all the time, we just don’t get to hear about it as much as when they are met) are profound in terms of  their impact on self-confidence, courage and mental health.

Not that there is anything wrong with goals per se – not at all, if that is what you want to do. But if you want a different way of working – a way where there is room for spirit to guide you, room for the universal energies to influence you, room to step into the unknown and welcome the challenges of that, then set an ID instead, an Intention-Direction.  You can read about that in last year’s article “Why I’m not setting goals.”   It’s just as relevant for now as it was then.

It seems that accepting you are dying, or that a loved one is dying, must be by far the most challenging thing to accept in life, and I’d agree. But this doesn’t mean that accepting ‘what is’ is much easier in any other situation. That’s because, although it appears to be the circumstances that are the difficult things to accept, it is in fact how much we push away what is presented to us in each moment, that really causes the problem. The situation itself simply is – it just exists. Whether you like it or not is another matter, and that’s where the judgment comes in, and trouble begins.

One of the difficulties with acceptance is that it’s easy to think it means you are going to be stuck with the feeling, situation or circumstance, as in “If I accept X, then that means Y.”  But in fact, it’s only in the acceptance of ‘what is’ that energy can flow, and you can move on.  Because the truth is, you don’t really know what will happen if you accept your current circumstances.

Let’s take the example of when I first started out with RichThinkers – I originally began by offering workshops and one to one work on the subject of money. I thought those interested would be people who wanted to make more money. However, within six months I realised that this market was far too wide.  Also, despite the fact that many people moan about having too little money in their lives, moaning about it, and doing something about it, are two very different things!

It seemed like a huge thing at the time, to tell those who were interested in what I was offering, that I wasn’t going to be providing what they wanted anymore.  But I accepted what I had done, and wrote to my database and other interested people to tell them I would be specialising only in those who were running small businesses or who were self-employed professionals.  At the time, it felt like I was narrowing things down far too much.  But in the moment of facing the fact that the market I was offering my ‘wares’ to not responding in the way I had hoped, I was able to let go of what I had been holding on to.  From here I was able to make the decision to define the market to the area that I personally was most interested in, and in which I had most experience. In marketing speak, I found my niche.

Accepting ‘what is’ happened just the other week too – I accepted that because my husband is in the dying process, I could not attend to clients in the way that was needed; and so I am having a ‘pause’ in this work, hence the message I wrote and posted on my website.  Not an easy thing to do, but with the acceptance of what I was holding onto, came the ability to let go and move on.

As I write, all this seems obvious, but that is the nature of acceptance – it takes a while to initially see what it is you are holding on to; in the seeing of it you have the opportunity to let go; finally you carry through on the letting go by making the decision(s) that needs to be made – and the result of all that is that your business goes in a different direction, you get back on course again, or you simply create enough space and time to take stock about other opportunities that have presented themselves.

In business this lack of acceptance (or holding on) can show up as:

• pushing to get your own way to the detriment of others in a transaction
• thinking that you know best about your business and no-one else can contribute
• avoiding looking at your bank statements because you’re afraid
• feeling overwhelmed by success – or feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work you think has to be done
• not listening properly to what your customers and clients are trying to tell you
• having a disorganised filing and accounts system which means it’s difficult to know where to find information
• not making big decisions — or even small ones!

Remember, as my good friend River said just the other day “It’s only where there is holding on that letting go needs to happen.”

So I invite you to ask some challenging questions of yourself this week:

• Where are you holding on in your business?
• What are you not accepting?
• Deep down in your guts, what do you know you need to let go of?
• If you are frightened of letting go, what are you frightened of?

And finally, just because you think you know what is going to happen if you ‘let go’ or accept ‘what is,’ it doesn’t mean that is really what is going to happen.  You may be justified in thinking ‘if X, then Y’ based on past experience.  But still, events conspire often enough to show that the truth is you simply don’t know what will happen. So step forward, answer these questions, allow the ‘don’t know’ feeling and watch the energy move.

Don’t strain yourself
There is nothing to do
Whatever arises in your mind
Has no importance at all
Because it has no reality whatsoever
Don’t become attached to it
Don’t pass judgement.

Let the game happen on its own,
Springing up and falling back
– Without changing anything.
And all will vanish and reappear
Without end.

Only our searching for happiness
prevents us from seeing it.
It’s like a rainbow that you run
after without ever catching it.
Although it does not exist
It has always been there
And accompanies you every instant.

Don’t believe in the reality of good
and bad experiences
They are like rainbows

Wanting to grasp the ungraspable
you exhaust yourself in vain
As soon as you relax this grasping,
space is there
– open, inviting and comfortable

So make use of it. All is yours already.
Don’t search any further
Don’t go into the inextricable jungle
Looking for an elephant
Who is already quietly at home.

Nothing to do.
Nothing to force,
Nothing to want.
And everything happens by itself.

Question: if everything happens by itself, then why ‘do’ anything? Answer: it’s not the ‘doing’ in itself that is at fault, it is how the doing is done. So in relation to business, it’s how you show up to your clients or customers; how you are in yourself as you conduct a conversation with a colleague or supplier; the kind of inner attitude that you bring to your business administration, your accounts, or your marketing efforts.

This week, I invite you to pay attention to who you are being as you ‘do’ – what aspect of yourself are you bringing to the work you are doing? Is it the part of you that thinks “I have to do this myself otherwise it won’t get done properly?” Or that pushes things through, rather than allowing them to take their course? Or that makes decisions from a place of anxiety and apprehension?

Or are you bringing self-compassion and humility to your tasks? Inviting your Higher Self to make decisions for you? Asking Love to be present in your marketing?

Whatever your answer to the above questions, I also invite you consciously to hold your business this week in the presence of Love – it is always there, but it’s very easy to forget. You’ll know if you are in the presence of Love by your actions, for those actions warmed by Love bring results that are also touched by Love. And Love, as we all know deep down, is indeed the answer.