by Nereyda Ah-Hoy

Since I decided to live my spirituality more fully and share it with the world, the most recurrent question I have received has been: "But what does it mean to be Spiritual? And how can you reconcile this with the material part of Life?"

I always see perplexity in the face of people when questions arise that have to do with Spirituality and when I say that it is necessary to frame Spirituality in the business world, I still see the strangeness. "Seriously? Reconciling Spirituality with Business? But why? And is this even possible? ", many ask me.

I would say, not only is it possible, it is necessary!

In a simple way and without wanting to enter into complicated or mystical explanations, I can define Spirituality in this way:

Spirituality is essentially learning to know ourselves (Self-Knowledge), to understand, to accept and to live totally in the idea that we are much more than our body, our beliefs and convictions, our education, our degree academic and professional experience, the socio-political and economic system in which we are involved, our family habits and customs and even our relationships. We are much more!

It is learning to stop blaming the world for our failures. It is living without fear of being authentic, even if it is the displeasure of many. It is being the leader of our life and knowing that we are responsible for ourselves. Understanding this allows us to develop issues such as self-leadership, self-acceptance, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, more tolerance towards others, and not letting ourselves be abused.

And how can this fit into the business world?

First and foremost, we must always keep in mind that, no matter how rich and successful someone may be, this person is primarily a being with feelings, dreams and passions!

We must take into account that business is done by people although there is a tendency to want to replace the Human Being by machines). Soon, we can see why there are businesses that thrive and there are others that do not hold out for long!

Among many factors, whether or not a business succeeds depends on the people behind it, because people give life (or death!) to the business through the way they conduct them, regardless of the surrounding conditions.

An entrepreneur or manager who does not know himself or herself, who does not know or respect his limits and does not have self-esteem, will never be able to get to know his team, empathize with his team and / or respect the team.

Right from the start, this entrepreneur or manager will sign a "death" sentence for your business or company and will most likely end up alone.

Steve Jobs (Apple), Bill Ford (CEO of Ford), Evan Williams (co-founder of the "Twitter" application), Sting, Denzel Washington, Samuel L And Nelson Mandela, and here in Mozambique, the former President of the Republic, Joaquim Chissano, are people who very soon realized that a successful life is not done without balance, without self-knowledge and without self-control.

Through self-knowledge, meditation, and other spiritual practices for well-being, these figures find the balance they need to continue their journeys and manage their lives and business in the best way possible!

The business world can be extremely stressful and due to issues, such as competitiveness, goals and results to be achieved in very short deadlines, relationship conflicts between team members, we can easily disconnect ourselves, which creates large imbalances at the level physical and emotional.

Therefore, it is urgent to incorporate practices that allow us to maintain this inner connection and balance with us, so that we can face the challenges of this world.

Imagine this scenario: if a Manager or Leader, however brilliant and successful, does not have the least empathy, self-control, and emotional intelligence, you can take your business and all your team members down and not meet deadlines.

Attitudes such as: being positive, being resilient, believing in oneself and consequently, believing and empowering others, facing challenges as opportunities, thinking outside the box, being creative, proactive and making the most of each situation are typical attitudes of those who have learned the know yourself, work on yourself and respect yourself!

And by respecting himself, he also learns to recognize and respect the value of others. But this will never be possible if one is too attached to his ego, his beliefs and merely material matters, which will make him inflexible, greedy and devoid of common sense and scruples.

Business is to make money yes (otherwise it would not be business!), but above all, business should be the best way for someone to share with the world what is their passion and their gifts (otherwise it is a business empty and devoid of purpose).

We do not necessarily have to force everyone in the company to stand in a lotus position and recite the mantra "OM", nor do we need to force them to do yoga or meditate 30 minutes a day (if they do it of their own free will, so much the better!). We do not necessarily need to set up an altar at home or in the office, nor walk in special clothes to live our spiritual essence.

In my view, the best way to apply Spirituality in life and in Business is to materialize our natural talent into a business, to share our gifts, to contribute to the improvement of our life and that of others, always recognizing our infinite potential, through self-knowledge, self-acceptance, respect for ourselves and others, and to be rewarded for it (whether monetarily or otherwise).

Life should never be just wake up, work, pay bills and pay more bills.

Life is much more than that and if our business just allows us to have money to pay bills, or simply allows us to make lots of money, we should think hard about whether we are doing what we should be doing!

"But it's not always possible to do what we like!" Many have already told me.

My question is: do you really believe that? So, if you believe, this will be your reality. However, if you believe that you can do much more, then you will, all you want, as long as you are willing to work for it!

Good Business. Good Return to Your Essence!

Nereyda Ah-Hoy is a Mozambican entrepreneur, founder of Plataforma INDIKA, Qi-Gong Monitor and a Blogger. She is passionate about inspiring people to achieve the best versions of themselves through Self-Awareness. She does this through her articles, podcasts and session talks named Sessões INDIKAS. These sessions represent the first forum created in Maputo, Mozambique where matters such as Self-Awareness, Self-Love, Relationships and Spirituality are spoken openly about and shared among the participants in a relaxed and warming environment. Through the practice of Qi-Gong, she contributes to people’s balance and well-being. To read more of her articles, go to alma.indika.cc