This is the first month of the final quarter of our EVOLVE 2021 program, which is focused on the following Ellivate core principle:
Prosperity:
Prosperity flows from the inside out when the previous three principles (Self, Connection and Harmonious Systems) align. Gain clarity on your financial goals, and identify where you can invest your resources more wisely to create more value and abundance for all.
Let’s spend a few minutes exploring what the word “prosperity” means.
According to Google’s online dictionary, prosperity means “the state of being prosperous.” Okay…so, what does prosperous mean? Google lists two definitions:
- Successful in material terms; flourishing financially.
- Bringing wealth and success.
The first definition is a more traditional interpretation, as it’s focused on the external, material world: money, possessions, finances, profit. In the traditional business world, the purpose of a business is to create profit for the owner(s). A company’s key measure of success is its profitability.
Yes, profit is important. As brave business owners who want to make a difference in the world, we need a profitable business to support us. However, profit is a result, not a purpose. When your business has a meaningful purpose (that is aligned with your personal purpose) and supports other people, profit will flow from that. Profit becomes a tool you can use to expand your impact in more meaningful ways.
At Ellivate, we work from the inside-out, so let’s move beyond the externally-based definition of prosperous and dig deeper into the second definition – “bringing wealth and success.” With this broader definition, we can create deeper, internal meaning.
What do the words “wealth” and “success” mean to you? Here are some questions to help you ponder:
- How much money do you need, to support yourself and those you love?
- How much money do you want, to enjoy your life at a deeper level?
- How much money do you want, so you can expand your positive impact in the world?
- In what ways would you like to create more wealth in your life?
- What does a rich life – a life that you enjoy, a life in which you are making a difference – look like for you? What are you willing to invest in order to create this life?
- What does success mean to you, beyond your bottom line?
I encourage you to spend a few minutes connecting with and creating your own unique meaning for the word “prosperity.” Get specific. Write it down. Allow yourself to dream about what a prosperous business and life look like for you. And remember, there is a whole community of women here at Ellivate who want to help you make it happen.
With deep love and gratitude,
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