SAMPLE
INSIGHTS FOR APPLYING
Deepak Chopra's
"The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success"
TO THE WORLD OF BUSINESS
"Intention combined with detachment leads to life centered, present moment awareness." -- Deepak Chopra
INTRODUCTION
In the early spring of 1996, my nephew and I sat in the warm Florida sunshine and took turns reading Deepak Chopra's marvelous little book entitled, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.
Richard was helping me develop a business plan for my company, Adams and Adams Building Services, and work on my sailboat, "Miracles," which I had sailed down from Mystic, Connecticut. As we shared the Seven Laws, a spiritual bond occurred between us that we had never known before, and when I returned to my business in Connecticut, I decided to share this book with my company managers and staff. I bought ten copies, passed them out, and started to discuss each chapter. My then company vice president took me aside and said, "John, we just don't get these concepts. Is this some sort of religious movement?" I assured him that it was not, that Chopra was probably Hindu, which is the traditional religion of India, and that the ideas contained within his book were ancient universal beliefs that could help our company develop stronger, more confident, insightful leaders. I explained that this little book summarized a heart-centered, spiritual philosophy that had come into my life, and I felt that the knowledge contained here would bring greater peace of mind, happiness and success to our team. Then, I shared insights on each of the Seven Laws to help explain their meaning and how they could be applied.
Now I feel this would be an excellent way to share Chopra's gifts, as well as my stories with others. These stories tell a lot about where I have been and what is meant by my true function as a Corporate Messenger of God.
FORWARD
This book is about even spiritual laws. When the word spiritual or spirituality is mentioned, many people think of religion or "New Age" concepts. Chopra is not referring to religion, but rather to a universal concept of a higher power within every one of us -- an inner knowing. These concepts are not as New Age as many would think, but rather ancient concepts discovered and taught by wise philosophers and prophets throughout the ages. These spiritual concepts include things we call intuition, insight, passion, inspiration, team energy, and faith and love, to name a few. They are concepts of consciousness that define us as a human race. They are invisible, intangible, powerful and everlasting, as opposed to items of form such as the things that surround us in our impermanent world.
The reason I wrote this booklet is because Chopra's Seven Laws of Success will give you additional powerful tools that will strengthen you as a leader, guide and individual. These tools will enable you to build an unstoppable team, connected and inspired by a common mission and purpose. Higher beliefs and a team spirit are the "juice" that propel the underdog to the Super Bowl or World Series, drive an Olympian, enable an outnumbered military force to overcome their opposition, create a Ben and Jerry's, an Apple computer or Life Without Limits. Spirit is the foundation of our uniqueness, the source of our real power, the glue that holds teams together and the stuff that captivates our imagination.
CHAPTER TWO
"The Law of Giving"
The world of form believes in scarcity of resources -- the well will run dry, the fuel tank will eventually hit empty, I am never enough, or there is never enough for all of us. On the other hand, the spiritual world has an endless abundance of resources. As a little chant that I know goes, "The more you give, the more you get." Give a smile and you will get many in return. Give joy and you will be joyful. Give appreciation and love to those whom you touch and they will give you limitless loyalty, love and respect in return. Don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as "Tough Love." We need to set boundaries and standards, and adhere to and enforce them in a loving way, without judging the individual. When we deal in this world of form, we deal in a world of paradox.
The world of spirit has no contradiction, only truth. Beginning from an attitude of faith and gratitude gives you tremendous advantage over competitors. Being open to receiving gifts of appreciation from others attests to your worthiness and high self-esteem. Whenever you meet another, greet them with love in your heart and, immediately, a spiritual connection will occur -- a connection that bonds you together from a higher place within. It does not mean someone will think you are weak. You can be firm, clear and direct, while enjoying confidence and peace of mind.
Realize that the positive "gifts" we give to our members (employees) and ourselves will come back to us many times over, and will put us in a position of abundance and strength in a world of scarcity and fear. A position of peaceful knowing and trust results from our inner faith.
"A man is what he thinks about all day long"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
