It’s Just Business & Other Damaging Beliefs

So I had a not so nice meeting with week with a gentleman who was less than courteous, professional or kind. Well to be honest he lost his temper with me. It was sort of a shock to be treated poorly. I have created a positive working life and surrounded myself with amazing people who do not have melt-downs. So it felt like a blast from my past corporate days.

The interesting thing was I told a friend of mine about this experience and he said, “It’s just business. Don’t take it personally.”

Hmmm.

Now I am a fan of not taking anything personally so love that advice but really, is it ever just business?

This experience left me thinking I don’t want to have to work with this person. It also caused me to think that said gentleman was not as professional, mature or experienced as needed. It left me thinking this man really needs to learn some coping techniques and take self responsibility. It left me thinking this is way too much work even if it is just business. So it is sort of personal since the quality of our relationships in ALL arenas and what we bring to them do matter greatly.

I know people have bad days. I do too but I try really hard not to lose my shit on someone. I do believe past the age of five tantrums are absolutely ridiculous and always uncool. I also believe in apologies and self-responsibility. Where is that in the business manifestos of the world?

If you have worked in the professional world, trade-world, service-world – really any world at all, you have heard the term, “It’s just business” usually following by some sort of verbal onslaught or unethical action. The term is used often to justify damaging behavior either to others, the environment or even large groups of people such as indigenous displacement. It seems to give people the right to somehow disassociate from decency and courtesy in the name of business meaning currency. They no longer have the responsibility of the ethical guidelines we all learned in kindergarten. This attitude has created some major ecological issues, human rights concerns and just bad mojo for centuries.

Now I know there are times when you must make hard decisions. I worked for Fortune 500 companies and conducted over 13 rounds of lay-offs at one company I worked for. I always argued with senior

management that lay-offs could and should be done with courtesy and respect for the thousands of people losing employment that day. I did not always win and those years left me burnt-out and sad at what I had witnessed and by how I was treated in the end. It would have been GOOD for business to treat people ethically and kindly. Kindness does not cost money. It creates it actually.

Now as a business leader myself there are times when we do have to make tough decisions, speak to something unpleasant or say so long to employees who don’t work out but it is always my intention to hold the place of love and respect while doing it. We all want ease, love and respect in EVERY setting. It is never just business. It is always Yoga. We are always in relationship whether it is employer and employee, employee to employee or business to consumer. How do we want to conduct ourselves? What are we demonstrating? What are we leaving in our wake – chaos, shattered hearts and destroyed self-esteem or union, inspiration and upliftment? We do not become separate islands of inappropriateness when we enter the business world. And really where does the business world begin and end?

I have great compassion for the man who lost his temper with me. He is dealing with a toddler at home, he is up for a promotion and he feels way overwhelmed. I send him light and love and let my husband deal with him from now on. I also appreciate that it was a wonderful reflection of how NOT to be and it gave me a great topic to write about. So in the end all really is perfectly unfolding but I am also learned enough to know that. Still I think our belief, “It’s just business” is damaging and a excuse for bad behavior. Myself, I would rather not need the excuse. I want to ensure every opportunity is an opportunity for more light, love, collaboration and connection in the world including business.

Wishing you a week of magical “business” relationships.

Namaste,

Shasta

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Shasta Townsend

A celebrated transformational leader and a leading pioneer in embodied spirituality and Yoga, Shasta has inspired hundreds of people through her breakthrough methods for awakening and empowering your inner voice and divine power. Director, founder and senior teacher with Balanced Life Yoga, she delivers public talks, seminars and trainings on evolution and empowerment. She draws on a wide variety of techniques including Yoga, Shamanism, meditation, energy healing, coaching and the Law of Attraction. She is especially appreciated for her passionate way of allowing individuals to make sense of their world and embodied, holistic means to become the change they wish to see.

As early as in her teenage years, Shasta embarked on her journey as a spiritual explorer which led her to India, where she studied yoga, meditation and energy healing. She has studied with many remarkable mentors and she has undergone thousands of hour’s intense practice of meditation and spiritual studies. Shasta has taken every opportunity to become adept in her field through her own practice as well as through extensive training in yoga, group dynamics, meditation and spiritual counseling.

www.balancedlifeyoga.ca

About: Shasta: Shasta Townsend (www.shastatownsend.com) is a passionate lover of life, cultivator of possibility and guide to radiant being. Founder and director of Balanced Life Yoga www.balancedlifeyoga.ca a celebrated transformational teacher, a respected health and well-being writer, radio show host and a leading pioneer in embodied spirituality, Shasta has inspired thousands of people through her breakthrough methods for awakening to potential, empowered relationships and a life of magic and ease. She is especially appreciated for her passionate way of allowing individuals to make sense of their world and the embodied, holistic means to become the change they wish to see.