Saturday, May 24, 2008

Self-Fulfillment through Self-Employment


On Monday morning I woke up and decided to call in to work, dreading another day of low pay and high stress. I reached for my cell phone to call my supervisor and it was dead. At that moment I decided to quit.

I didn't call in or show up. I was hoping that I would get fired so I could collect unemployment, but on Tuesday I had a voicemail from my supervisor saying that she was worried.

I went to the library and emailed my resignation. I was tired working with poor people and not being able to help them. I was tired of working for low pay and great benefits, saying to myself that somehow, someday I would be able to be my own boss.

Why not today?

Thich Nhat Hanh talks about compartmentalization, where one separates their lives into many different little lives.

My work life over here, my spiritual life over there, my family life way off in the distance somewhere. But if spirituality is a journey to wholeness, than the goal is to integrate all my little lives into one. So I trust that the same principles I use in my family and spiritual life also apply in my career.

I am exploring the idea of self-employment as self-fulfillment, and I have gotten mixed reactions from the people I have shared this with so far. I want to be true to my beliefs, even in business.

Mahatma Gandhi says that "business without morality" is one of the "seven deadly social sins."