All my life I have searched for the understanding of why our world is so upside down. I have read so many books, watched so many documentaries, done so much soul searching, so many conversations and contemplations … all to acquire the understanding of why?
Some may say that the world is okay and that we are moving in a positive direction. Yes, maybe.
And yet … why do we continue to hurt each other and our precious Mother Earth—the life giving, life-preserving source of all life.
This understanding—the understanding of why—is now crystal clear to me.
A ship sails at sea for a particular purpose. We can sail in many different kinds of ships, of different sizes and designs, some for work, some for entertainment, some for spectacle, some for usefulness. And, it is the rudder that guides a ship’s direction.
Culture is the rudder.
Culture is the rudder that guides us in a particular direction.
If we do not turn all our focus to our direction then we are not focusing on culture. And, if we are not focusing on culture then we are a ship at sea without a rudder, without direction.
It’s been said that if we do not live our lives intentionally then we may not like where life leads us. In business, if we do not focus our attention on culture—the rudder of our reason for being—then where will we end up?
Some, perhaps most would say, that business exists for the purpose of deriving profit, as profit is what sustains us.
Does profit truly sustain us? Or, is it just a means to an end? If we treat profit as both the means and the end, then we are like a carpenter who serves his hammer and saw. This is silly of course, as the hammer and saw serve the carpenter. So too, is it silly to serve profit, as profit is merely a tool.
When we give way to the prevailing wisdom of profit serving as our over arching goal, we have just given way to a rudderless existence, and we may not like where we end up.
All my life I have searched for this simple understanding. It is not such a difficult understanding to grasp, except for the fact that the majority of our culture, what some would refer to as the dominant culture, tells us otherwise.
It’s been hard for me to perceive this with crystal clear vision for the simple reason of my own fear. My own fear of economic insecurity has been like a blinder to the truth. It has prevented me from fully accepting what I have always known. And it has prevented me, up until just a few years ago, from living the life I’ve always dreamed of living, and fully owning the direction that I know I was meant to go in.
My direction, my culture, is culture itself—its focus, its enhancement, its deepening and strengthening. It is in bringing the message that we must delve deeper into who we are, why we are here, and what we are authentically driven to do?
Will you join me in this? Will you turn your focus to exploring who you are, why you are here, and what you are authentically driven to do? This exploration might just surprise and delight you.
Tip of the Week
Consider that if money were no option, what would you do with your life? Would you sit on a tropical beach sipping Mai Tais? Would you help the homeless? Would you retreat to the mountains? Become an angel investor? Write that book you’ve always wanted to write? Or start a new kind of business? Contemplating this question could very well bring about a joyful sense of possibility. Give it a try.