Success: A Wholistic Perspective


The world has always been mixed with the rich, the poor and the middle ground. Should we assume that if you make more and more money, that you are more and more successful? Perhaps not.....looking at ourselves and life that way just keeps us trapped in our animal/primate history. You see in the animal/primate world, the big male controls all the sex and resources, he's the successful one and those around him are less fortunate. This mentality has been the driving force in our political and financial life for all of human history. So, as we continue to evolve, this model seems a bit outdated, and not really a uniquely human definition. So, how can we define and create success from a more evolved position?

When I was growing up...way back in the 50s, a successful business person had an expensive car parked in their driveway, they had the house most could only dream of, and the beautiful wife as well. Things looked real good ... but that was rarely the whole story. They also had an ulcer, drank and smoked to handle all the stress, was often on medication and lived with endless stress symptoms. Yet by the old model, they were successful inspite of the fact that they were in big trouble on the inside. However, this was normal and accepted as the norm at that time.

Then came the 60s, and all hell broke loose! The older model was challanged by a very large population called the baby boomers.....and there were alot of us. We experimented with all kinds of new and radical ideas. We saw that the older path had flaws and were trying to evolve beyond that. Some of our efforts paid off in the growing holistic health and mental health movements. We became aware of an inner life that had been neglected by earlier generations.

However, where we found our inner selves in private, when we went to work in the corporate world, things had not made much shift there. So, we did what we could to change things, but really just got drowned out by the older model being so firmly in place. So it became normal to have a split life, one that was for our personal self and the other for the corporate world. It's like living with a split personality. [ This split model seems to be the current norm..we complain about it...but ]

Then came the clash of cultures that resulted in 911, and all the corporate scandals that rocked the business world. So here we are living beyond the year 2000, yet still trying to evolve. Well, at the rate we make changes, it's most likely that things will not resolve themselves in your whole lifetime. Are we all still trapped in the past or is there a way out? There is a path through the garbage but one that only some will travel. At this point in history that new path must be one taken by personal choice. I don't suggest you wait for everyone to change into a newer, healthier norm.....if you value a quality life.. don't wait for others..you will die before that happens.

The holistic movement is trying to expand into the business world. There are only a few of us at this time working on this...but that's life! Things have to start somewhere. Holism deals with the whole of things. I no longer consider a person or business successful if their inner life is a mess. To be really successful by a wholistic point of view you need to consider the impact of every action on every level of the business, including the health and mental health of you, the staff and your customer base. Taking that even one step further, you need to consider the impact on the global community.

Sounds like too much to handle, but there are tools and techniques that are evolving to help you if you want to operate from this approach. The business world needs to do some tough soul searching, and then help will come along. When you change you inner choices, things will start to happen!

Oh, by the way, going wholistic does not mean going broke. It's part of a package deal, when you clear up alot of business karma.....very often the business becomes more successful financially!!!

Jerry is a former psychotherapist and is currently a professional shaman. He publishes an online magazine and newsletter dealing with shamanism and holism as they apply to life and business. You can reach the magazine at this address: http://www.jeremiahhuck.workzsites.com