The summer season of self-improvement festivals is gradually coming to an end, and office buildings and conference halls await us.
Since I am actively involved in both teaching and learning in both areas (business and personal development), I’ve been thinking a lot lately about whether there really is a difference between these two systems, and if so, what it is—and I’ve noticed that the difference actually lies only in the rituals and trappings. The substance serves a single purpose: to belong somewhere, to identify with something, and to follow the rules of the game necessary to be part of that system.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it’s all one and the same, it’s just that one seems more appropriate to one person and the other to another. But the goal is the same, to belong. That is why the opposition between these two worlds is strange and completely unnecessary. It’s not one OR the other, but one AND the other.
When I look at both of these areas of life and work with clients on both pragmatic business issues and profound personal development topics, it seems that the key lies precisely in the integration of these two.
The point of this post isn’t to contrast one world with another in any way, but rather to show that we are ONE and that, while we deal with the same issues in life, our vocabulary is simply different. Ultimately, we all yearn for the love, connection, and meaning that belonging to someone brings.
Here are a few examples of how both “worlds” are saying exactly the same thing, just in different words:
meeting/retreat
Strategy Day/Ceremony
conference/festival
office/studio
suit or pantsuit/linen robe
styled hair/wide-brimmed hat
company logo on the chest / sacred symbol as a pendant or bracelet
job title/spiritual first name (new or added) from India
MBA/Training Certificate
Company values on the wall / affirmations on the altar
engagement score/energy in the room
agenda/plan
meeting chair/room attendant
organizational culture/collective energy
conflict/trigger
stress/nervous system dysregulation
Consultant Model/Chakra System
A pop band for the company’s summer party / an ecstatic dance journey
a glass of wine at a networking event / ceremonial tea or hot chocolate
promotion/next initiation or level
In one setting, you gain status and a sense of importance by being a C-level executive or Head of Sales; in another, by having attended a retreat or ceremony and “no longer identifying with your ego.”
Perhaps the question isn’t so much about which university you attended or how many years you’ve worked in-house, but rather whether you belong to this system, in other words, whether you’re one of us.
Finding one’s community and understanding oneself as a prerequisite for that is ultimately what matters. The specific words don’t matter; the main thing is that they resonate and provide a sense of belonging, which in turn brings peace of mind and a certain sense of security. Because it is only together that we can get through the things that happen in this world.
I’ve sometimes wondered which “world” I want to be a part of and how the academic world fits into this, but I know it’s in all of them. It’s just that the vocabulary is different. And it’s reassuring to know that everything is still ONE, and there’s no need to force anything together through my actions, I just need to realize that it’s already ONE anyway.
