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The more time I spend working in marketing, the more similarities I find between my work and my personal life. This is to be expected, because I am human and have human experiences. Naturally, some synchronicity is bound to occur.
Recently, Deepak Chopra The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success, And after I finished reading it (it’s a very easy book), I kept thinking about how much it resonated with me and how much I want to apply it to my work.
Most people have a clear line between work and life: “It’s just work,” “I become a different person at work,” etc. But what if you brought your personal beauty into your work? It doesn’t have to be so black and white, but rather, what if you could perform better at work using principles that work for you and make you feel good in your daily life?
So much of business today feels associated with greed, scarcity and pressure. But successful brands embody values and beliefs that resonate with people on a personal level. As I was reading Deepak’s principles, I kept thinking: what if we applied these principles to the office and improved ourselves in the process?
So, without further ado, below I will explain the laws, what they mean, and how you can apply them to become a better businessman.
1. The Law of Pure Potential
This law means that we exist in a state of pure potential, and to me this principle reminds me of the American Dream that with enough hard work and persistence, you can do anything you put your mind to.
But at the core of unlocking your potential is knowing who you are. In business, my mind immediately jumps to your brand strategy. How well do you know your brand — your mission, purpose, DNA, USP? How well do your customers know it?
So much of what we humans buy is based on our beliefs about brands. Do we know what our beliefs are? And if so, are we communicating them? The sky’s the limit for brands that understand their unique values and beliefs and communicate them to the right audience.
Related: 3 Common Marketing Myths and How to Reframe Your Thinking
2. The Law of Giving
This is one of my personal favorite things: keep giving without expecting or needing anything in return. Marketing is often about content. “To download this whitepaper, we need your email address”… (yawn). What if you gave it away for free? What if you could provide actual, customized value and don’t need anything in return?
This isn’t to say you should offer all your services for free, but rather think about what you can offer without asking for anything in return. I frequently get messages from recent grads who are job hunting. When I don’t have a job opening, I instead meet them for coffee, either virtually or in person, to talk about their interests and give them advice on where to look and who to connect with.
It can be tough at times, but for me, this is the environment I wish I had when I was in my career. When I get a marketing lead, I do a free 30-minute call. I spend 15-20 minutes asking questions, listening to their answers, and the rest of the time telling them everything I think they should do. No sales pitches, just what to start, stop, and improve on.
A lot of people have asked me why I give them so much information, when they can take it and do it themselves or somewhere else. If they want to, they can. But I want them to have the knowledge to do it better and save them time, money and frustration. Whether they choose to do it with me or not is not necessarily important.
I want them to win and do what’s best for them. When you approach business from the perspective of giving more than you get, the work just flows in because it makes people feel good. It’s not like, “Oh, another $10,000 gone in marketing,” but the excitement and energy of investing in something that’s already giving you great value.
3. The Law of Karma
We all know that you get back what you give. One of the biggest parallels I can think of is money. If you are stingy with money as a business owner, how can you expect others to invest in you and spend their money? It doesn’t make sense.
You need to act according to what you want to receive. If you want others to believe in you, you need to believe in yourself. If you want a brand to buy from you, why not buy from them? If I have a good connection, I will try to buy/try their product or service. Then I will write them and tell them about it. Let’s all praise them for the great thing they make. It’s karma. What I want to put out into the world is a tradition of supporting great people who make great things and recognize all the effort that went into it.
Related: 5 Good Karma Tips to Grow Your Business (Infographic)
4. The Law of Least Effort
It’s all about going with the flow. As a business owner, we have never-ending tasks, meetings, and deadlines. It can feel exhausting. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to work on what feels easy and fun.
I used to be a pro at time blocking. My calendar was a Tetris game with everything that needed to be done and some more. Now when I look at it, I ask myself, “What does it need to be done?” and “What will feel good to accomplish today?”
Forcing yourself to sit down and write when you’re stressed and depressed is the worst. I choose the path of least resistance. I work on what works, what feels good. Sometimes I’m half way through a project and realize the resistance is too much and I have to start over. I rethink and think about what it is I’m really trying to do and how I can make it easier. When I’m in flow, I feel unstoppable. The work is great, I feel good, and the work is no longer a pain.”
5. The Law of Intention and Desire — and 6. — The Law of Indifference
I purposefully combined these two laws because, to me, they represent all of the core principles of manifestation: Start with what you want, in business we call goals, and they should be more than just how much money you want to make.
The law states that these things are possible, but you must let go of your attachment to the outcome. It’s one thing to say what you really want, but another to strictly control how you receive it so that your expectations are met.
This is all about letting go of control, and that’s extremely hard as an entrepreneur. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve made countless failures in businesses that I felt strongly were the right choice at the time. Those failures forced me to ask myself what it was that I wanted. I didn’t want a course, or five more employees, or ten new clients. I wanted a business that I felt aligned with my skills and passion.
I wanted to change my services to give business owners what they really needed, instead of what they told me they needed. When I was able to let go of my own ideas, I realized my business was truly successful.
Related: AI is the antithesis of authenticity, but there’s hope. Here’s how to align human values with AI.
7. The Law of Dharma
We are here to serve a purpose. Are you aligned with your purpose? Think about it. If someone asked you what you do and why, what would you say? You don’t have to be the Dalai Lama to do good in this world, but you have to contribute. You know what it is, and you feel it aligns with your values and beliefs. I believe this law is a game changer. And it forced me to answer the question: what do I want to leave as my legacy? That’s why I started volunteering to create scholarships, teach marketing to middle school students, and give free lectures. I want to inspire future entrepreneurs. I want them to know that everything is possible (or, in Deepak’s words, pure possibility).
How many of these principles do you think apply to your life and work? This isn’t a guide to how to live or work, but I think they can align your potential for greater, more meaningful experiences in business, if you so choose.