Venture Spiritualist

Is there such a thing as a “venture spiritualist”? Can we walk the path of aspiration and supplication? Is it possible to be humble while we seek success, or are we just rationalizing our more earthly impulses?

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These questions have plagued me for years. I have been strongly drawn to a spiritual path for as long as I can remember. Simultaneously, I have been very enterprising.

Marrying these seemingly opposite impulses has become a recent and persistent challenge.

Ambition vs. Spirituality

For most of my adult life, I have resisted the idea that you can be ambitious and spiritual, toggling between the two in my mind.

But with some intense and sincere introspection, I’ve concluded that they are not in opposition to each other.

The key, though, is that they must share the same path. In fact, they must be one and the same. Does this mean the only spiritual careers are as a monk or a nun? No.

It’s more of a matter of applying spirituality to all of your endeavors.

Practical Meditation?

The idea that meditation could be practical drove me crazy (not exactly Zen).

For example, I dismissed any talk of meditation for the purpose of improving productivity or reducing stress. To me, meditation was only a doorway into higher consciousness.

All other applications were toe-dipping, insincere excuses to not really explore a deep spiritual connection.

Spiritual Development

Incidentally, I ignored that I have personally gone through my own development.

At first, meditation felt a lot like sitting uncomfortably, and I was developing a rigid orthodoxy that seemed to violate my own values.

What’s worse, I was becoming a hypocrite. I could exercise without training for the Olympics. Why couldn’t I merely meditate to improve my daily work experience?

Merging Career and Spiritual Practice

What I’ve come to realize is that my spiritual path and my career path not only could be one, but they had to be. What was necessary, though, was that my work values coincided with my spiritual values. That meant I could work hard and try to succeed, but not by exploiting others, causing suffering, or pursuing greed.

Why not greed? Greed is not enjoying the abundance of the world, but the opposite. Greed is the fear that there is not enough.

Deepening My Connection via the Mundane

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Eventually, I realized that I was developing more spiritually by applying my spiritual practices to work. It’s one thing to find peace in a quiet room. It’s another in the chaos of everyday life.

Developing mindfulness among mundane activities deepens our access to meditative states.

Nonattachment

By applying a more mindful approach to my daily work life, I also realized that it was okay to achieve, succeed, and have money. The pitfall is in the attachment. Identifying with money or success creates a vulnerability to change.

When we realize Spirit is our only real source, we then realize that whatever perceived source of money or success we have is merely a conduit.

The conduit can change, but the source can’t.

Sometimes, it’s felt like I was playing mental dodgeball as I navigated my career and my spiritual path. By reconciling these two, I’ve not found the way to spirituality, but that spirituality is the way.

Is There Such Thing As A ‘Venture Spiritualist’?