Natural Principles For Business Design - Thriving Naturally

The future of business lies in building enterprises that nurture global well-being. The systems that shaped today’s business world were designed primarily for economic benefit, not holistic well-being. This track is an invitation to lead by example, bringing the wisdom of the natural world into how you work and grow and to discover how to thrive, naturally.

Transcript

The Earth is four and a half billion years old.

Life began to form after a billion years,

Perhaps less.

As life forms developed,

Many were wiped out by mass extinction events.

New life emerged and went extinct over five mass extinction events.

Then 500 million years ago,

The Cambrian Explosion brought rapid diversification of life.

Humans appeared only a few million years ago,

And it is about 10,

000 years since we began to farm the land.

Then came the construction of cities based upon the wealth of the land,

And then exploration of new worlds,

Colonialism,

And the establishment of economies dependent upon resources external to domestic economies.

How those resources were gathered often fell outside of moral or ethical standards.

The commercialization of the natural world has been centuries,

If not millennia,

In the making.

A million tiny shifts have eroded our connection with the natural world and brought us to the sixth mass extinction caused by humans.

This disconnection makes it near-impossible for the average person to challenge the path of our global societies,

Because we are not in nature enough to either understand how it works,

Nor to appreciate how it can lead to a better quality of life.

At the same time,

Nature has become a commodity in the center of every economy.

The basic needs of life are clean water,

Air,

Food,

And environment,

And these have all been brought within the economic systems of the world,

Meaning that they have become unavailable to those who cannot afford them.

This has perpetuated the cycles of destruction that come from trying to break out of a cycle of declining standards of living.

It is a very challenging picture,

And the constructs of modern business have played a major role in bringing us to a place of mass inequality and injustice,

Alongside rampant damage to the natural world.

Which means that business can also present the solution because we have the power to change how it operates.

Like all change,

It starts from the ground up.

It begins with small businesses that choose to work to different principles.

This influences customer and client experience and reshapes the foundations of business and societal expectations.

There is so much we can learn about effective business practices by observing and implementing natural systems.

Biomimicry is a fully-fledged field applying nature's systems to organizational and industrial processes that has brought significant efficiencies and benefits.

It is,

However,

Somewhat inaccessible to small businesses,

And for those working from their soul roots,

It lacks personal meaning too.

My focus is on relearning the principles of nature as they apply to humans as part of nature,

As part of the systems of life.

We aren't outside ecosystems,

We are part of them.

When we follow our individual natural patterning,

We contribute to the well-being of life on Earth.

The initial challenge is remembering this patterning.

Our daily lives are noisy,

Often with little to no access to natural spaces,

So the opportunity to drop into a deeper self-awareness is compromised,

But it's not impossible.

The patterns of nature are reflections of the web of life.

Individual patterns are part of the whole,

And the whole is only healthy when all the individuals are following their natural patterning.

Creating opportunities to connect to the natural world energetically is one of the ways I help people to remember their patterning outside of social constructs and within ecosystems.

Wild plant music,

Wild business journaling,

Meditations,

Energetic business explorations are just some of the paths that I use to achieve this.

Whatever I do,

I try to create ways to bring nature into your day to help you remember the essence of your truth and part in the world.

As I have explored this work,

I've found key themes or principles that hold the key to a more conscious and constructive business approach.

The important thing to note is that this benefits both entrepreneur as an individual and their business partners.

Entrepreneurs feel a sense of presence.

This ripples out to their clients and customers and begins a process of change that's rooted in nature.

When I look around and find so many entrepreneurs feeling required to hustle and push,

I see that the number one principle of nature has been broken.

Business demands a perpetual state of being switched on,

Doing,

Being productive.

If you aren't doing,

Then success is not possible.

This is an incredibly strong narrative pushed by people whose only concept of balance is their bank balance.

And it's utter rubbish.

Nature is rhythm.

There is a rise and fall to everything and when we fail to flow with this pattern,

We fight ourselves in every way.

We aren't meant to be switched to full power indefinitely.

In fact,

This is a minor season in each cycle of the rhythm.

Each day has four parts.

Each year has four seasons.

The moon waxes and wanes from new to quarter to full to quarter to new again.

A seed germinates,

Grows,

Flowers,

Seeds and retreats.

Throughout your day,

Week,

Month,

Season,

Year and years,

There are natural rises and falls.

There are periods of inner growth and outer expression,

Periods of inner integration and outer change.

We are not meant to be at full tilt all the time.

We cannot grow as people in this way because there's no space to reflect,

Integrate and embody change.

As an entrepreneur,

This holds you back.

You never find the time to work on your next phase of growth until you break,

Stop and then rebuild.

Natural rhythm is not destruction.

It is a flow of energy in and out like a breath.

Your business needs times of quiet to put the pieces together and in these times you utilise your stores and reserves to keep your business functioning while the next phase of growth becomes clear.

This isn't just financial.

Your reserves are your existing expertise that can carry you as you work out where you go next.

Allowing rhythm into your work,

Working according to your own pattern through the day,

Week and year allows you to maintain your energy and capacity to receive and respond.

Consider how you work best and consider what you think is work.

A walk in the middle of your day is a valid part of your work.

30 minutes of meditation before you pick up pen and or mouse is work if it sets you up for success.

Shaping your work week to respond to your natural energy rise and fall sets your business up to succeed and for you to feel good about your business life.

To help you,

Keep a note of when you have a break and what you have energy for over a period of a week or so.

This way you can begin to see your pattern.

Once you become accustomed to considering your needs you will start to see your patterns across longer periods of time and can adjust your business activities accordingly.

Everything in nature has a purpose within the whole.

It's a vital part of the overall system which only functions optimally if the individuals are playing their role.

This is the root of balance and harmony.

Ecosystems thrive if all the functions that are needed are fulfilled.

Every ecosystem,

Like every human,

Needs the right balance of air,

Water,

Nutrition and healthy space.

The overall business ecosystem needs a diverse range of businesses and business approaches to be healthy.

As an entrepreneur,

If you aren't following your patterning and soul inspiration and if you are following the models and blueprints laid out by others then you aren't finding your place within the ecosystem and you will not thrive in the way that you could.

The expression of the soul is a master lesson from nature.

Without soul there is no meaning to action.

With soul,

Every action has meaning,

Purpose and vision.

It alchemises your actions and ups the quota of positive energy in the collective consciousness.

The simple choice to move with soul in your business catalyzes cultural change on a massive scale.

And it makes you feel good and more empowered.

And when you feel good,

You do more good in the world.

It's a win-win.

To discover your soul purpose as an entrepreneur you simply need to acknowledge that which is and has always been right in front of you.

Your soul purpose is wrapped up in your life experience,

Your values,

Your desires for the future.

If you feel unanchored in any way in your business take a little time to explore what you really want to create through your business and ask yourself if how you are approaching it is really working for you or it's actually pulling you from your path.

Whenever I hear about notions of one single solution to any problem at whatever scale,

My scepticism radar goes wild.

We are surrounded by constant pressure to solve our challenges by adopting one solution or another.

There seems little appreciation of one of the most fundamental reasons nature is successful and has been through multiple mass extinctions.

Diversity.

It is the bedrock of life.

Coexistence within diversity is what makes life possible.

The division and divisiveness that dominates our current global positions and politics is actively fighting against our survival.

Social injustice is fighting against our survival.

Nature is diverse.

Individual species have specific roles to play and the complex relationships between species and roles shapes environments on an ongoing basis.

Ecosystems are tapestries of life forms.

Each life form works with others to shape the environment and nurture health.

We don't operate differently because we are nature.

We need diverse perspectives,

Interests,

Experience and skills so we can fully respond to life.

There is never only one solution to any challenge and a range of solutions will always result in a healthier,

More resilient ecosystem.

A healthy environment for your business is a diverse one.

Diversity emerges from flexibility to adapt and this is an important skill as an entrepreneur.

It keeps you open and curious which means your business is positioned to evolve through exposure to different perspectives,

Skills,

Experiences,

Knowledge and more.

Potentially counter-intuitively,

Your ability to function in a diverse environment comes from understanding your own specificity of role.

Your unique blend of skills,

Experience,

Perspective and passion makes it possible for you to function within the wider business ecosystem in a positive way.

It makes it possible for you to shape the environment by being true to yourself and that leads to collaboration.

Every system in nature is collaborative.

Reciprocity is wired into the functioning of every system.

Rain falls and collects,

It flows into rivers and out to sea.

Without cooperative systems,

The water would leave the land so fast that it would become essentially lifeless.

The raging waters would take the soil and everything else with it.

Plants create root systems that bind the soil.

This slows down the passage of water so that it can sustain life.

Plants draw water up and release water vapour through their leaves creating an atmosphere with more humidity which leads to rainfall.

Then perhaps a beaver family will slow the water down using more plant material to create dams that allow the water to pool and form new channels.

A myriad of habitats form between land and water that allow a diverse range of species to move in.

The elements,

Earth,

Air,

Fire and water are the building blocks of life.

It's what we do with them as individuals that shapes the world.

But we are never alone in this and collaboration and cooperation are vital to establish healthy,

Fully functioning ecosystems in which all beings thrive.

A diverse landscape is a healthy one because so many energies are in harmony,

Not dissonance.

We need to value this in business and flip the narratives from ones of competition to collaboration.

This is perhaps not as easy as it sounds.

I often talk about internal collaboration as a precursor to external collaboration.

Many of the principles I've covered so far help to build internal collaboration.

Following your rhythm and purpose and being open to diversity help to bring coherence to your actions so that mind,

Heart and body can work together.

Entrepreneurial life is a juggling act where mind,

Spirit and heart can become disjointed.

Becoming conscious of the tensions can help them dissolve and it becomes less of a struggle to maintain your path.

Outside of yourself,

Collaboration is many-faceted.

Work you do with clients is collaborative.

Communications are collaborative.

Engaging suppliers is collaborative.

Your audience are stakeholders in your energetic path too.

Collaboration is not just about joining forces with other entrepreneurs or businesses.

A different frame of reference for collaboration helps to bring its nourishing spirit into your business.

Now,

Business brings its days when you want to bang your head on the table in frustration.

That being said,

It should still be enjoyable.

Joy in business comes from doing what you're designed to,

Wired to do.

Even if circumstances make things tricky,

Knowing that you're on your unique path makes each step more fulfilling and enables you to maintain balance.

When we confine animals in a zoo,

For example,

Their inability to function according to their natural patterning leads to all kinds of behavioural and emotional changes.

If life boxes us in,

In the same way,

We begin to lose our equilibrium.

Entrepreneurs are particularly prone to dismissing their patterning for the sake of success.

Business success is built on well-being.

Which incorporates giving yourself the freedom to be you.

If something doesn't feel right to you,

Maybe it needs a tweak to be in line with your values.

Or maybe you would be better to create an alternative approach altogether.

It is crucial to design your business as a reflection of who you are and how you work.

Without this,

Joy can only seep into the cracks,

Not fill your day with fulfillment.

It is also essential to consider that as a person,

You do not stay the same.

To keep joy within your business,

You cannot stay in one place.

Nature is not static.

Through the day,

Seasons and years,

Environments adapt and evolve.

We change too.

Every experience we have is an opening to growth and evolution.

We are naturally curious.

We aren't meant to stay still.

Yet business structures and systems often keep entrepreneurs stuck.

I've seen too many examples of people trapped by the complex structures of success,

Unable to adapt what they do to align with who they have become.

Your market is always going to be in flux.

You might see this reflected in the focus of needs.

So even if you're offering essentially the same thing,

The emphasis of need might shift.

Sometimes markets go through dramatic shifts that ask for changes in the structure of your business.

When you combine this with your own personal growth and emphasis of interest,

Then staying doing the same thing will lead you to switch off from your business.

It will become boring,

Not exciting,

Not joyful.

A creative mindset to business design will help you to adapt more easily and see opportunity within challenge.

It means you will be free to continue creating in response to your inner growth and the changing outer environment.

Your internal business ecosystem will be able to adapt and grow.

One aspect of creativity in business is making space for all the things that make you tick.

Your work has a specific focus,

But all the other parts of who you are feed into how you approach your business.

Your experiences,

Skills,

Interests and more shape how you show up in your work.

Make space for all of this initially in your awareness because it will give you a real creative edge in your business.

It can help you see the nuances of uniqueness that are actually hugely important to your clients.

It gives you insight into why your approach works for a particular group of people.

Creativity is how you frame your thinking and response.

It's not a grand act,

But a way of being.

It's a positive mindset of using challenge to create opportunity and diverse skills to bring a new emphasis or even market into play.

Ultimately,

Creativity is the underpinning factor of a healthy environment.

It's what keeps you healthy as an entrepreneur and gives your business the ability to thrive.

These principles I have shared are not mine,

They are nature's,

Which makes them ours.

And they offer a roadmap for a more natural way to be in business that's kinder to you,

Your clients and the earth.