My Declaration of (Business) Independence
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to unhook from business as usual practices and reclaim practices for sustainable and human-centered businesses, we should declare the causes we are separating from.
I believe these these business truths are clear:
That all humans are created equal.
That rest, pleasure, and receiving are our birthrights.
That we are humans, stewarded by nature, and not machines, governed by the clock.
That growth is not linear.
That we can trust in ourselves.
That we are stronger together.
And when we are exhausted, overwhelmed, questioning our confidence, and impacted by dominant business and productivity culture, it is our duty to declare those causes that are impacting us.
Dominant business and productivity culture teaches us:
Constant Growth every week, month, quarter. No matter the cost, or to whom.
Independence - pull yourself up by your bootstraps!
SMART Goals - measurable, predictable, and time-bound
Constant motion over rest and pausing and resting
Relying on cookie-cutter roadmaps instead of deeply listening to your inner knowings
Activating your nervous system by presenting you an unachievable “checklist” of to-dos
By taking on more goals for more progress
And that grinding, disembodied, individualistic mentality is so impactful and harmful.
It causes overwhelm from encouraging so many goals
It encourages feeling alone in pursuit of something larger than ourselves
It makes us feel frustrated when we aren’t in a season of clear, predictable deliverables
It tells us stories about guilt and shame if we don’t achieve “perfection” with all of the goals we put on the table
It encourages us to hire expensive coaches or join high-cost masterminds to “keep us accountable”
It causes us to question our confidence when we struggle
It causes systemic gaps in wealth and access
We go unseen, unwitnessed, and uncelebrated on the journey
We have done our own self-care, we have found our own support systems, we have tried to set digital communication boundaries, we have tried “leaning in” and “having it all”. We have banded together in communities crying out for a change in the status quo.
And very little is changing.
It’s time for a radical reclamation - which means changing how we show up to our businesses and our commitments/goals.
We intuitively know how to bring our dreams to life, but we have been conditioned out of that inner rhythm and trust over centuries of business practices focused on extraction, individualism, and perfection-seeking practices designed to center profits over people. And without support of others, it’s incredibly difficult to resist the pull of dominant culture’s beliefs.
We can build stronger businesses through deep listening, radical presence, and collectively cultivating faith - for ourselves, for our people, and for the planet.
It’s time to reclaim our innate knowings, rhythms, and our faith to build stronger businesses, normalizing care, spaciousness, and altruism.
In 2022, this is my (Business) Declaration of Independence.
That I have the power to set sustainable prices and clear boundaries, honor seasonal and lunar rhythms, take intentional rest, receive deep pleasure in the work I do, have leisure time, pay a thriving wage, have accessible offerings, cite my sources and share my lineage, redistribute wealth, have strong business governance, and to de-center revenue and growth as the main means of business identity.