Finding your purpose isn’t that difficult. It just needs some imagination and self knowledge. Here are the three steps to define your purpose.
STEP 1
Start with imagining your ideal world – in 10 years from now. How would this Utopia look like. What would be different and do you see solutions to make this ideal world happen?
STEP 2
Ask yourself how you can contribute, with all your typical human capacities, to accomplish this ideal world. What would be your role in this story. Which “holy” duty do you see for yourself. How do you want to be remembered?
STEP 3
If you have defined your role by now, think about which elements you need to integrate in each part of your life. What would be your daily focus, habits and tasks to fulfill your purpose?
A long time ago when new transportation techniques emerged, it created new jobs like the traveling merchant and local trader. Where you could buy new and different products from other places then your own. There was a natural balance between the buyer and seller because goods or services were exchanged based on necessity.
Business is the new standard
Trade or starting a business has evolved during the last centuries into a “serious” profession. Where all kinds of new business developments were invented like new production techniques, price calculations, ratio’s, KPI’s, and something called “efficiency” Here scarcity was the basis of this trade game.
A Fair Trade
Slowly our view of doing business changed from efficiency towards impact. Where transparency opened our eyes and changed public opinion. This in a sense that trade was not always equal for all parties. Where business ethics became an important factor; doing good for society, giving back to the producers, a sustainable business for a clean environment etc. Where the rational efficiency on short term is not leading anymore, but the soft factors and the impact in a longer period of time, are the new metrics.
the impact in a longer period of time, is the new metric
Business as the new religion
The new entrepreneurs are getting younger and business is initiated by all kinds of people on all levels. New enterprises arise in so many different countries and even in remote locations. Where money is not an issue anymore thanks to Crowdfunding and Microcredit. Entrepreneurship is a commodity. Or is there more to it?
Entrepreneurship seems to be the new religion. The save harbor for a meaningful live and freedom of choice. Where business models are filled with the mantra of Peace, Love & Happiness. Where business people live accordingly to it: – PEACE: have peace with yourself and with all others – LOVE: love what you do, and how you do it – HAPPINESS: experience happiness about the positive impact you bring to others
If you use these three spiritual factors, in your business-life you will make a change to your inner being as to the other humans beings around you.
What matters more: the greatest overall happiness, or the happiness of the greatest number? This question has concerned philosophers for centuries.
It is easier to talk about income differences (inequality) then about more subjective items as feelings about happiness.
Most conversations about development these days focus on income inequality and people’s wellbeing. But analysis suggests these conversations might be better focused on the inequality in people’s wellbeing. There are three reasons for that:
Polarization
Data show that worldwide, with every passing year since the Great Recession, life has gotten better for people with wellbeing scores in the top 20% and worse for people with wellbeing scores in the bottom 20%.
2. Holistic metrics
Measuring inequality through a subjective wellbeing metric such as life evaluation allows each respondent to consider all the issues of their life that are important to them and to factor them into their rating accordingly. Income inequality, on the other hand, looks at only one component of what is important to people.
3. Psychological
Importantly, this inequality is associated with lower levels of happiness for citizens, while there is evidence regarding the psychological nature of this relationship. Central mechanisms that explain the link between income inequality and subjective well-being, including anxiety from status competition, mistrust, and hopes and fears about the future.
wellbeing inequality may tell us more about life itself, than income
There are at least two ways in which to examine inequalities in wellbeing: inequalities between groups of people (e.g. according to gender or income groups), and inequality in overall wellbeing of the population.
The growing inequality in how people rate their lives shows millions of people are clearly being left behind. But more than that, the widening gap in how people rate their lives may be able to provide a better, more complete picture of inequality in a country than income inequality alone.
While studying national averages illustrates important differences between countries, to gain a greater understanding of wellbeing inequality it is important to analyze differences within countries. This is why more and more political leaders are taking Wellbeing Inequality into account.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans to include the wellbeing of New Zealanders as a measure of her country’s economic success.
An increasing number of people is not happy with the present situation in our society and how the economic system works. Tweaking the existing system is not bringing the drastic change we need right now. There is simply no time to waste. So we need a different approach to have a balanced social economy.
The philosophy of our society should be about studying the human behavioral patterns and market constructs. To analyze the correlations and motivations to build an economic system which is adapted to our goal of well-being.
Now we use an economic system which was initiated after a war which was based on scarcity, to rebuild our society and economy with jobs, income and housing. This construct is no longer applicable as we, generally speaking, live in a time of abundance. This consumerism is no longer valid.
This quantitative approach should be replaced by the goal of improving the quality of life
By working on an economy of connection instead of competition. Where we all have access to goods and services instead of owning these. We need to define what well-being means, in order to design how our society should look like.
Let’s also be critical about the role of the larger companies as they have a great power and influence on how our society functions. Can we make them accountable for their impact on our society?
The (present) old school economic system is prevailing and leading our society. What if we choose for people first, and happiness as leading criteria? Let businesses innovate in non-commercial activities, and see what happens….
Business Hippie Club 