Join Jason Pugliese, the founder of Mindful Business Development (MBD), for a free webinar – focused on manifesting the exact business of your dreams in 2012 and beyond.

Not only does it serve as great introduction to our powerfully effective, heart-centered, community-approach to business creation, but it also serves as the perfect follow-up for everyone who attended the Awakening 2012 Workshop around the state of Vermont! It’s also ideal for those who have considered registering for the Mindful Business Success Program.

We currently have two of these sessions planned:

1.  Monday 1/9/12, 4:30 pm to 6 pm.

2.  Thursday 1/12/12, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

And, here’s what you can expect to receive from this totally FREE webinar:

1. Overview of the Seven Foundations of Mindful Business Development, including free worksheets that will help you manifest a powerful vision for your life and your business.
2. A guided meditation/visualization intended to manifest individual and collective awakening.
3. Opportunity to ask questions about your own business, and /or our forthcoming Mindful Business Success Program.
4. Community Connection: opportunity to connect in with other like-minded individuals who are also working hard to make a difference.
5. Review of the Mindful Business Success Program: what is it, what’s included, and how it can help you manifest the exact life and business that you want to create!

You will have an opportunity to feel inspired, light, free, and refreshed at the same time. Indeed, it is possible to manifest a business that helps to make a difference on our precious earth, and yes there is radically inspired community here to help you manifest just that.

To RSVP simply follow this link to the  Facebook Events Page we set up for this event. Once you are one the events page, simply click the  ”Join” Button to RSVP, then we will send you webinar call-in instructions! You can expect to see these instructions in your email (or Facebook) inbox no later than 9 am on the morning of the webinar.

We look forward to building our businesses, our communities, and a better world together!

We at Mindful Business Development are wishing you great peace, joy, and love in 2012 and beyond!!

Solstice Parties (and Networking) in BOTH Burlington and Montpelier!

(please send this to everyone you know – the more the merrier!)
At Solstice, Earth begins its inevitable return toward the nurturing light of the sun. It’s a time when stirrings deep within us send a message of renewal, purpose, and hope, a time when every living thing prepares to unlock the incredible power that is stored within. What better time to plant the seeds of personal growth and entrepreneurial success–while enjoying some delicious food, music, companionship, and, uh, not to mention … a great excuse to have a party??
TWO Events Happening Next Week! Please join us for the following fun and inspiring events in Montpelier & Burlington next week:

NEXT TUESDAY 12/20 – Burlington! Holiday Celebration featuring the LIVE music of Yogi Patrick, Orderves, Cocktails, and more!!

Come celebrate with us, network with peers, and mingle with potential clients in our brand new, big, and beautiful office suite on Church Street in Burlington! Come one, come all …. bring your family & friends too. When the musicians aren’t playing we’ll have other inspiring music to shake your soul to! Tuesday 12/20 beginning at 5:30 pm …
5:30 – 7 pm Cocktail & Orderves Party (please bring your own cocktails and finger foods to share – intoxicated and/or under-aged persons who are drinking will be asked to leave)
7:00 – ??? Music and Dancing Until the last person leaves!!
Location: Rainbow Institute, 19 Church Street (Studio 8), Burlington, Vermont
To RSVP, simply reply to this message or call (802) 225-5960.

NEXT WEDNESDAY 12-21 – Montpelier! Launch of the Mindful Business Success Circle Networking Groups!!!

These new networking groups are for conscious entrepreneurs who have committed themselves to making a difference in their communities and in the world in 2012 and beyond. Mindful Business Development is launching these special events in different locations around the state of Vermont, beginning next week – please join us next week for the grand launch!! Wednesday 12/21 beginning at 10:45 am …
10:45 – 11:30 Sitting Meditation (optional, and highly recommended)
11:30 – 12:30 Group Meeting & Discussion
12:30 – 1:00 pm Networking and social time for one on one business networking/connecting.
Location: Montpelier Shambhala Center, 64 Main Street, 3rd Floor, (above One More Time clothing store), Montpelier, Vermont.
To RSVP, simply reply to this message or call (802) 225-5960.
We look forward to seeing you at these events next week!

Gratefully,
- The Mindful Business Team
PS The new Mindful Business Success Program group beginning in January is almost FULL – there are only 1-2 spaces left, so if you have been considering registering then be sure to do so now before it’s full!
PPS Mindful Business Development’s Offices will be Closed the week of December 26th.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from all of us at Mindful Business Development!!

If you happen to be reading this right now, it is likely that you may have heard a calling recently in your life. This call may have come in any number of forms—a voice from deep within you, a songbird heard during a hike in the woods, or perhaps even a telephone call. No matter what the source, there are many such calls being voiced and hopefully heard during this time of great awakening.

For me, the voice seems to be emanating from an outer wilderness of the land and an inner wilderness of the soul. Regardless of the wellspring from which they come, the messages are often similar. Remain hopeful, follow your heart, relax your mind, and remember to breathe are just some of the phrases I have been hearing in the past few months.

In spite of hearing and listening to this calling, I have felt uncertain of how to respond—especially in relation to my professional work. To this end, I asked the universe to provide me with some guidance. I came across the Mindful Business Success Program shortly thereafter.

I must admit; I was skeptical at first! While I have longed to integrate my dreams and passions into my career, this pursuit has felt difficult to say the least. In finding the Mindful Business Success Program, I believe I now have access to the tools that can help to align my greater purpose and spirit with my entrepreneurial objectives.

I recently participated in the Foundations class of the MBSP and found the experience to be enriching, enlightening, and powerfully transformational. Through the instructor’s careful guidance, I came to witness my higher self and fullest potential, I now find myself learning the necessary steps to actualize this vision.

I have always known that the answers I seek and the keys to my future are inside of me. I just haven’t felt like I have had the appropriate resources to access and utilize this knowledge. I truly feel that the Mindful Business Success Program is providing me with the tools to awaken into my full potential. In turn, I am already learning how to help others actualize their hopes and dreams.

While running a nonprofit organization during college, I discovered the nonprofit sector’s deficiencies in Web technology and communication. I soon found that those deficiencies existed in the grassroots activism and small business sectors as well. After a year of struggling with suboptimal Web solutions, I decided to build my technology knowledge and harness my inner geek.

Today, I design and develop media to help people communicate information and engage in productive dialogue. At Firestick Creative, I’m focused on building the capacity of Vermont’s media sector to deliver important information regarding human ecology and community development solutions. In my work on the Mindful Business Development team, I’ll be using my proficiency in Web development to help students and clients make the most of their online communication efforts.

Hello! My name is Ea Valjevac. In November of 2011, I launched E.V. Creative Solutions a consulting service providing for account management, project management, administration, and branding solutions. As an Administrative Assistant and New Client Specialist, I am excited and honored to work with Mindful Business Development, and look forward to developing an enriching network of peers and clients who are oriented toward developing and implementing sustainable business practices.  Please click here to read my full profile!

Benjamin Ray Griffin is the Founder of Greener Living, Inc and joins the Mindful Business Development team with a diverse background in consulting, business development, and project management. Ben brings a deep passion for sustainability to his work with clients and is well respected for his ability to listen deeply and cultivate positive outcomes. He has received the United States Green Building Council’s LEED AP credential and is certified as an energy rater by the Building Performance Institute. Ben lives in Winooski, Vermont and serves on the board of the Vermont Green Building Network.

Ben’s recent work has involved business development, corporate social responsibility, and organizational sustainability objectives. Trained in the art of sustainability reporting by the Global Reporting Initiative, he works with clients to help them share their unique stories with target audiences. Ben holds a BSc in Integrative Eco-Social Design from Gaia University and is a candidate for the MBA in managing for sustainability at the Marlboro College Graduate School. Ben is thrilled to be joining the MBD team and is excited to weave the threads of mindful practice into the fabric of business development and organizational change.

Imagine an economy in which the primary currencies are compassion, loving-kindness, joy, and present moment awareness. Indeed, the first step in creating it is to visualize it.

What does such an economy look like, at the personal level? It begins with mindfulness. There’s a sense of letting go of the story line so that the endless stream of thought from the ego is put to the side, just for a moment.

As you do this, as you return back to your breath, you notice something very interesting, something intricately related to the awakening of consciousness in 2012. It’s something that’s intrinsically connected to the cells of your body on an infinite, subatomic level. It’s a connection to all other beings (and non-beings) on the planet—and it’s a connection to the entire cosmos, beings and non-beings alike.

In short, it’s so microscopic, yet so infinite, that you can never really put your finger on it. It’s elusive, impermanent, and empty in nature. It’s the essence of who you are, and awakening into this full essence is the universal calling of our species at this present moment in time.

With the power of this awakening, both individually and as part of as our collective consciousness—we can heal our economy and our species by engaging with the following life views:

1.   The View of Witness: We must witness the current system without judgment. As we dwell in compassion and loving-kindness in the present moment, there is a sense of witness to the ego-mind based story line. As awareness expands, there is a sense of healthy detachment. As the mind is witnessed with enhanced awareness, we individually and collectively awaken into the delight of the oneness we share.

2.   The View of Artist: As we witness our minds and lives with this sense of detachment, ease and spaciousness become regular energies in our lives. Still letting go of thoughts and witnessing the mind, you dwell in spaciousness as your unique creative brilliance flows through the cells of your body and being.

In this selfless state, there is an alignment with a greater presence in your life (or God, Great Spirit, Mother Nature, etc)  As the creative brilliance of your life’s work flows effortlessly through you, all aspects of your life become artistic manifestations that blossom directly from the divine. As you and the people around you do this, the organic result is individual and collective awakening, a space of joy and connection.

3.  The View of Scientist: Once you are grounded in the view of artist and witness, you have laid the foundation to become a true scientist. You turn into a doctor—your own doctor so to speak. Not only do you perform the diagnosis, but you are also in charge of the surgery that will heal yourself and the planet. And, you have been given the microscope—your mind’s eye—that you need to analyze the subatomic particles within “you” until the insight of emptiness dawns.

In fact, the subatomic particles in your body don’t even exist—no matter how deeply you look at them, no matter how deeply you split them down into smaller and smaller particles, I guarantee you that you will never be able to find any tangible substance whatsoever. You will see that, when you look deeply, your entire body—even at the cellular and subatomic levels — is actually empty in nature. Through awareness of this, you can crack open a cocoon that allows you to emerge into eternal joy in the present moment.

It is true, dear friends, that if we take on the perspective, or view, of Witness, Artist, and Scientist, that every entrepreneur can build a successful business while helping to transform people and the planet. In fact, the very role of the mindful entrepreneur partakes of the same three perspectives:

• Entrepreneur as Witness: This witnessing will lead to a sense of detachment from the business. A sense of detachment allows a clear and objective perspective, which is absolutely foundational to establishing smooth and reliable systems, systems that manage themselves, systems that free up the business owner’s time, systems that make the business more profitable and allow the entrepreneur to enjoy a stress-free, higher quality of life.

• Entrepreneur as Artist: After witnessing and system building occur, the entrepreneur is then free to explore his or her enlightened state, the state that is present when creative brilliance is flowing from the source. After all, sharing these unique and sacred gifts is the very reason you are in business, right?

• Entrepreneur as Scientist: The direct and thorough analytical inquiry of business systems leads to enhanced customer experience and rapid company growth. Through this detailed diagnoses of all the key business departments (sales, marketing, accounting, etc.), and through the development of these detailed systems related thereto, the entrepreneur is empowered to manifest a successful business—and a business in which the measures of success are 100% determined by the entrepreneur.

No matter how we measure, the ultimate level of success is only available when we consciously work to bring more joy, loving-kindness, compassion, and present moment awareness into our lives—and into the lives of our colleagues, employees, and customers as well.

In a recent post, we explored how the present moment is a gateway through which you can access your own authentic nature and build a genuine business that makes a difference in the world and in the lives of others.

But how do you build the bridge between what appears to be abstract, even esoteric—your authentic self—to actually make a living?

At Mindful Business Development, we work with clients using what we call “The Crack of Light Principle.”  According to this view of mindfulness-based small business success, there is a certain population that you are meant to serve in this lifetime.  In modern business terms, they can be referred to as your market and your niche.

With awareness and by implementing some attraction marketing, you can clearly identify these people.  And when you connect to them in a skillful manner, transformation will occur, resulting in greater fulfillment for both yourself and your clients.

The basic premise behind the Crack of Light Principle – which brings the law of attraction to the marketing process – is that you are actually energetically connected to your clients long before you ever meet them.  And there are practices that you can engage in to connect with these future clients and attract them into your life.

The first step is to connect with your own inner light. As described in a previous post, this light is often sealed within a cocoon.  You must discover your own light, the divine nature of your own authentic purpose, before you can really help anyone else.  This takes varying amounts of time depending on how much trauma you’ve experienced in your life (yes, every human being has experienced trauma).

If you skip this step—if you try to help others before you have dealt with your own trauma—then you are simply going to throw more chaos and confusion into the lives of others.  If you skip this step, you will be short-changing yourself and actually harming those you want to help.

The second step is to sit quietly in meditation and connect. Once your mind is clear and stable, allow yourself to visualize your own inner light cracking through your inner cocoon and shining outward in the direction of your clients.  Imagine your clients connecting with you on an essential level, with your inner light connecting to theirs.  Of course, your ideal clients may not have connected with their own inner lights.  That’s okay.  As part of this exercise you can ask spirit (God, the universe, the divine, etc) to help you connect with them, the people you are meant to serve.  Ask them to come to you.  Ask clearly for what you want.  Your ideal clients are living beings that are out there now, and they are in pain, needing your medicine, your solution.  You can begin the healing process by connecting to their light attracting them to you.

The third step is to believe. This is often the hardest part.  With every breath you, can be connect to your own basic goodness, your own inner light, and this light can emanate out for the benefit of others.   Belief requires trust, so this means that you must recognize the places of doubt, and fearlessly transform your doubt into belief.  To do this, you will have to apply whatever practices help you on your unique path, such as meditation, yoga, therapy, coaching, etc.

The fourth and final step is to receive. The universe wants you to be successful.  The universe wants you to attract into your life the people who you are best suited to serve.  As these clients come into your life, and you commit yourself to their transformation, the result will be greater joy and for fulfillment for both them and you.

When this happens – when you follow these four steps – you are making the world a better place because you are doing the work that must be done in order for humans to survive as a species. You are connecting your light with the light of your clients, and they in turn will connect their light with the light of their clients.  Indeed this same light is the light that comes from the source, from God, the energy of mindfulness.  It is the same light that weaves us together and emanates through the cosmos.

(This is the second post in a series of five that is dedicated to offering practical advice on How to Set Business Goals.  In the first post we explored the importance of focus.)

Imagine this:  the Red Sox are playing against the Yankees.  It’s game 7 of the American League Championship, and the winner moves on to the World Series.  Bases are loaded.  The Sox are down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth.  David Ortiz is up next at bat.  The sold old crowd waits in anticipation.  If he hits it out of the park the Red Sox win, while the Yankees are eliminated.  Just before Ortiz steps up to the plate to bat, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a blindfold, and wraps it around his head so that his eyes are covered.  Huh?

Setting business goals that are not a direct reflection of your unique life purpose can be likened to stepping up to the plate with a blindfold on.  It’s not very practical, and the odds of success are not great at all.

If you choose to pursue a business path that is not a reflection of your purpose, I must forewarn you that you’ll experience a lower sense of passion, it won’t feel very meaningful, and it certainly would not be the best you can do to restore sanity and peace to the planet.  The net result of all this is that even if you do hit the ball, you’ll probably run out of steam and collapse short of home base.

Yet, at the same time, so many of us go to work every day and feel a deep sense of disconnection and dissatisfaction with what we do, day in and day out.  Many even hate what we do every day of life, and this is a very painful place to be.

In fact, I used to be in that place—specifically, I went to work every day as an accountant and did not like the work.  I knew deep down inside that something was missing, yet I could not find a way to align my daily activities with my deeper calling so that I could live a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

Over time, I discovered that it does not have to be like this.

In fact, when you live life on purpose, you are fully aware of the reason why you are here on Earth and your daily activities are a direct reflection of this awareness.

. . . and, this leads to great joy, peace, and fulfillment.  This has been my experience, and now my purpose is to support others as they make their similar transitions.  For those of you who have been to my lectures, you may have heard me reference one of my all time favorite quotes from Eckhart Tolle:

“The most important thing to realize is this:  Your life has an inner purpose and an outer purpose.  Inner purpose concerns being and is primary.  Outer purpose concerns doing and is secondary … Your inner purpose is to awaken.  It is as simple as that.  You share that purpose with every other purpose on the planet – because it is the primary purpose of humanity.”

-Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

Whenever a new client or student comes to me for mentorship, the first thing that we need to verify is that their business is truly a reflection of their life’s purpose. And, here’s three actions that you can take identify the reason why you are here and to verify whether or not you are living life on purpose:

Action 1:  Contemplate your Death and Your Funeral. Make a bulleted list of how you want your life to pan out.  What do you want to be remembered for?  How do you want your friends and family to remember you?  What do you want people to say at your funeral or final ritual of passage?

Action 2:  Identify your primary essence energies. These core energies, which of course manifest on a beingness level, are alive in you during all moments, though we sometimes are unaware of them.  Write them down as a big list of words.  You can extract their energies from keywords you identify in Action 1.  Some examples of essence energies in my life that achieve this objective include love, mindfulness, community, awakening, and service.

Action 3:  Write a brief statement of Life Purpose and post in in places where you can see it on a regular basis. I often call this the “I am here” statement.  To do this effectively, simply write down “I am here to” then finish the sentence with a statement that relates to the beingness essence energies that you identified.  Do this several times, until you have written down all the reasons why you are here.  Remember to keep this on a beingness level.  Right now, you are thinking big picture, not specific.  In the next few posts we will get to the doingness level, the activities that bridge “who you be” with “what you do.”

Once you have written a life purpose statement, put it somewhere where you can read it constantly. Post it everywhere, and repeat it like a mantra unit it’s deeply engrained.

The first time I wrote my life purpose statement was in 2007, and it’s been hung in several places in my home so that I can consistently be reminded of the reason why I am here. In fact, my purpose is to “Help people awaken into their full potential and – in doing so – to create peace and healing on and with the planet Earth.”  I am certain that this statement will never change for the rest of my life.  I will never do anything else for the rest of my life.  Notice how it does not express “how” I am going to do it, or the doingness aspect.  It ties directly to my inner purpose on an essential, or beingness, level.

Once you know your whole life purpose, it can truly be an “a-ha” moment to realize that you have plenty of time to achieve your life’s objectives. You do not have to accomplish all of your goals this week, this month, or even this year.  You can simplify and enjoy more spaciousness in your life.  You can live a more mindful, concentrated, and focused life as you realize your dreams.

You realize that home plate is the present moment.  And, instead of stepping up to home plate with that blindfold on, you can instead take the blindfold off, and confidently hit the ball out of the park … grand slam, and the Red Sox win (of course), the crowd goes wild, and the entire planet benefits from your diligence.