I like the way Robert Kiyosaki, in his breakthrough book Cashflow Quadrant, assigns all of commerce into 4 types of thinking, which he presents in 4 quadrants.
On the left is the “E-quadrant”, of the “Employee” who generally believes one has to work hard, get good grades and get a job. The job is the goal. And the “S-quadrant”, which is of “Self-employed” people who desire more autonomy and hence start businesses or are professionally engaged. However, since both these require the person’s physical presence, the consciousness is the same… exchange time for money and work for someone else’s system.
Then we have the right quadrants. The “B-quadrant” where “Business owners” own and operate a System. And the “I-quadrant” where “Investors” invest money in systems. In the right quadrants the system / money works for its owners. For example, McDonald’s is a system (B-quadrant) to make burgers and it probably sells more burgers in one outlet than all the hamburger stands (S-quadrant) put together all over the city. The system works as an asset for the McDonald’s owner and his income is “passive” (does not stop even when he’s away). Contrast this with the burger stand owner who could work 12 hours a day and his income is “active” (when he stops, income stops).
Most people (90%+) are in the left quadrants because of the consciousness we are brought up with. And most of the world’s wealth (90%+) is controlled by the few in the right quadrants. So the question is, what can the majority do to also manifest abundance in commerce?
Dalai Lama’s life provides a moving image of a consciousness of abundance, in spite of no apparent riches. Spiritual schools generally always speak of merging oneself with higher consciousness, surrendering the ego and visualizing the whole world as one… yours.
For operating in this higher consciousness it therefore appears that the crux lies in removing oneself from the self-centre and accepting oneness with the abundance all around. Accepting the benefit of others as the goal. Spiritual techniques further use guru-devotion, altruism and even celibacy etcetera as humbling tools… using which the ego surrenders and abundance manifests!
Interestingly, right-quadrant business ownership calls for a similar surrender; to a system or ‘dharma’. And working for the benefit of others; shareholders, employees, customers and such. It also calls for persistence and patience, which are traits of meditators in the pure consciousness context.
A System or Dharma (exactly translated as ‘The Way’) is a process by means of which progress happens without constant need for direct personal interference. The most successful and scalable businesses (and spiritual organizations) around the world are all built on this.
So be it with commerce or consciousness, the secret of scale and success lies in the hidden convergence. Surrender to a ‘dharma’, envision the bigger picture that encompasses more than oneself, involve others and persist patiently.
Author’s note: If you resonate with this, you might like to read an enchanting narrative on the topic at www.ArriveAtSuccess.com