“Read it”, he said, “it’s incredible, really inspiring!”

“Is it the same Paul Hawken who visited Findhorn in the seventies and wrote The Magic of Findhorn?” I said.

And indeed it is.  That book is out of print, but at the time it was famous for telling the world about the enormous vegetables being grown at Findhorn at the time, which led to the huge community expansion that happened in those years.  Paul has since then written 6 other books, the latest being Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No-one Saw It Coming. But what has all this to do with RichThinkers and your business or project?

Read the commencement address and you will see that this is the current context out of which we are all operating our businesses or projects, charities or non-profits, whatever is your passion. Paul expresses it beautifully; starkly yes, but with immense grace, as he speaks to young people about to make their way in the world.   Which is what you reading this site are doing too.  Making your way, contributing from your heart and soul, caring about people and our planet, wanting to run your business in an ethical way that gives back to the planet, not just taking.

Here’s a quote:

“Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done”.

Wow.  This is such a great example of rich thinking. Here’s another:

“At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product. We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future instead of stealing it. We can either create assets for the future or take the assets of the future. One is called restoration and the other exploitation. And whenever we exploit the earth, we exploit people and cause untold suffering. Working for the earth is not a way to get rich, it is a way to be rich”.

And Rich Thinking is just that — being rich right now, in this instant, in your heart; and radiating that to others through your daily acitivities, your services, your organisation or however you channel your particular passion.  Read the address and answer his two questions at the end — let your inner riches be known to you, and spill them out into the world.

What he said next had me pricking up my ears.  ‘We have links with MIT in Boston, Massachusetts, and over there they have a different attitude to failure than we have. In fact, you’re not considered successful until you’ve had at least one failure under your belt.’

I’ve been reflecting on this, because I consider I’ve had two business failures really, so I must be well on my way to success by these standards!

Firstly, the complementary health clinic we owned.  Where was the failure in that?  Well, we owned it with 2 other partners.  Despite the fact that we were all psychotherapists or counsellors, and apparently good at communicating, we got ourselves to such a place that no communication took place unless it was through solicitors.  Embarrassing to say the least. Needless to say this animosity had a serious affect on the business, which was not developed in the way it could have been, and played a large part in why that business got sold in the end.  I’ll tell the full story of that one day.

The second failure was in Ireland.  We had been buying and selling land there (yes, I know, somewhat far away from my core passion and beliefs – that was part of the failure) fairly successfully, but got caught in the credit crunch, and have ended up owing a considerable sum of money to the bank instead of being in a very profitable situation.

If I look at these apparent failures through the eyes of MIT, then I can be considered to have a vital ingredient for success, which is very heartening!  Of course, there are lots of things that I have learned through these experiences which mean that I consider I didn’t fail at all, but in the conventional business sense it appears indeed that I have failed.

What have you failed at that means you’ll be successful, if you’re not already?

In fact I had a double dose of Hilary this week, as I watched early this morning one of the previous programmes that I’d missed, the one with the cocktail bar owner who wasn’t making nearly enough money.  By an analysis of his figures, she pointed out that he could make an extra 35p per cocktail if he bought in less expensive spirits.  Despite some resistance, the owner followed her advice, and that, combined with lowering the cost of a cocktail to £5 from £6 for a special offer evening, resulted in a very busy evening with lots of cocktails being bought, amongst demonstrations of ‘flairing’ — what the bartenders do when they juggle with the cocktail shaker!  Honestly, just for this bit alone this programme is worth watching!  It was Episode 2 I think.

What have I amended in my business since watching?  Set up a system for recording all cash income and outgoings; developed a new product; applied to have my very own business mentor locally; got inspired to re-do my business plan.  Watch this space!

1. First decide to take the general attitude that the perfect job for you is out there; it’s just a matter of finding it.  This means that any of the jobs you haven’t yet got haven’t been the perfect one, and it’s simply a matter of continuing until you find it, or it finds you.

2. As best you can, imagine yourself having this job and how that makes you feel.  I know we all want and need jobs for money, but we also need and want them for the feelings they think they will give us.  So take some time to explore what kind of feelings you think you will have when you are working at a job you love (doesn’t have to be this one).

3. Spend some time now regularly in this feeling place, as if the thing you want had already happened.  For example, say you identify that you feel confident, smiling, expansive when you are doing work you love.  Actively take steps in your mind’s eye to be in a place where you are already feeling those feelings, regardless of what you are doing.  Or put yourself in the position of being in this job, doing it well, receiving praise and feeling how that feels.

4. Use an affirmation such as ’ the perfect job comes easily to me now’, and refuse to take no for an answer!  This means that if it so happens that a job you apply for you don’t get, that it wasn’t the perfect job and that, as Louise Hay says, there must be ‘something better waiting in the wings’.  I  use this statement a lot if something doesn’t happen as I think it should!

5. Walk into the interview with the humble, but true, attitude that you are brilliant at who you are and what you do.  Affirm that if this is the best job for you, the interviewers will see it and want to employ you.  And if they don’t see it, that is their problem, and someone else will be the lucky ones that benefit from you and your energy.

6. Use your own inner guidance or Higher Self to help you see the truth about yourself — that you are supported and held by the Universe; that it is your Higher Self (or any other word you use)  that you can allow to shine through in the interview, and that your job is really to just breathe, reflect on the questions, and allow your HS to answer for you.

7.  Finally — put a precious stone that you have already infused with love, peace, confidence (any feeling you want) and have it in your pocket, or round your neck, to help remind you of your qualities.  Probably not a great idea to put your hand in your pocket when being interviewed, but maybe if it is a ring or a bracelet, you could just touch that now and again to help root you in your inherent beauty and capability.

Usefully, the Inland Revenue are sponsoring the series; clearly they’ve got a vested interest in having small businesses grow and thrive, and supporting them to do that.  When Hilary mentioned the fact that 600,000 small businesses collapse in the UK, I was horrified.

And when I identified from this programme some things that I wasn’t doing, I got really interested! (Like operating from a business plan — yes I have one, but when was the last time I looked?  Might not mention when that was…)

So visit www.five.tv/businessinspector and see her in action for yourself. Even if you don’t like her style, or have some objections to her straight talking manner, ask yourself if these could be getting in the way of hearing some very useful, practical advice.