Earlier this week I posted an article entitled, “Business-Minded Spirituality.” My plan wasn’t to prove that businesses are inherently good-intentioned, only that one can have a successful business while still keeping their morals and values intact.

Businesses themselves are tremendously powerful vehicles of change, but they don’t just fall from the sky. They start within the mind of a single individual – with an idea, a thought, or an intention. The individual who acts upon these ideas changes his world, whether it is for better or worse.

A better self means a better world, no matter how small or large our impact might be. This is a powerful insight. If we can recognize our personal growth as part of the growth of a greater whole, we can begin to align ourselves with this greater sense of being. All of a sudden, we become more inspired and motivated to improve life conditions for our self and others.

Please take a moment to reflect on your own goals of self-improvement. Ask yourself: “In what ways do these goals benefit the world as a whole?” If you cannot find any reasons – then it may be time to rethink your strategy and mindset.

If all you want out of life is money, sex, and fame – but you neglect the interests of others – then you probably won’t get any of these. And even if you do, your success will be short-lived and ultimately unsatisfying.

This attitude I am describing takes an element of responsibility and courage. We often like to neglect our interconnectedness and interdependency with others. Our ego would rather see itself as separate and distinct; we figure this is the only way to see our self if we want to rise above and be successful. But we are limited in our capacity for improvement if we neglect the well-being of others along the way.

I challenge my readers to reframe their goals within this context of “world improvement” in order to foresee the greater implications of their actions. When I reflect back on my own list of goals, a couple of things become immediately apparent to me.

Take for example my goal to “Graduate From College.” On the surface this is nothing but a self-serving goal. Certainly by graduating I am not directly affecting any other person’s future. But what I accomplish through college allows me to become better equipped to serve society at large than if I were not to get a good education at all.

This exercise allows you to reframe your goals without changing the content of the goal in-itself. Instead, it strengthens your intentions to achieve these goals. It motivates you. It aligns your will with a “higher power.”

The future of self improvement should be seen within this new context of world improvement. As I mentioned before, you can change this attitude with the simple question, “How do my goals serve the greater whole of humanity?” This allows you to become more affirmed in your values and aspirations. It puts you in a stronger position of personal power. And, it guides you to new ways of concern and compassion toward others.

How do your goals serve the greater whole of humanity?

Related Posts

• Fifty Ways To Stay Committed
• The Uses And Abuses Of Setting Deadlines
• Re-visiting Your Goals And Aspirations
• The Need For A Spiritual Backbone
• Discovering My Inner Rockstar: Building Character Through Archetypes
• Business-Minded Spirituality
• Six Aspects Of A Well-Balanced Person (Part 2)