I so happy to introduce you all to my first guest blogger, Vicky - founder and creative force behind GroovyDoos, a home for cosmic and soulful crafts that help free your mind, used as visual meditation tools for your spiritual practice, or just get playful and feel groovy.
Sustainability was once considered the byword for luxury but it is no long just a buzzword. These days, it is fuelling a multibillion-dollar industry. Companies are under pressure from customers and shareholders to adopt better practices, transparency in their operations and a clear pathway to being sustainability proof.
When we hear or think of the word sustainability, we often consider green practices, doing what we can to care for our planet.
We have been aware, for quite some time, of the calls to action, visions, missions and values statements, reports and campaigns businesses communicate to us.
On the whole it’s a shift of awareness in the right direction. But, as green credentials become more prevalent does the word “sustainability” still hold the same power or has some cynicism started to creep in? There are businesses, big and small, with truly appalling motivations, financial profit above all else, despite slick marketing trying to persuade us otherwise. We are living in a time of greed, corruption and abuse of power but also in a time when these business practices are being revealed and challenged. There are broken models that no longer serve us. We are in a state of flux… Some systems are serving the few, not the many.
With many freedoms being restricted in the last 20 months, we unexpectedly had the chance to reflect on our lives, take stock and maybe look inwards.
More than ever we need to look inwards, check our moral compass and our values and use the power we have as consumers to give our money to those businesses that really do care. And if the desire to start a business is burning bright, looking inwards will give us the impetus to act upon our values. Sustainability should be a priority at every level, whether choosing how to package a product, the supply chain, or deciding to have a minimal website.
If we consider the word sustain, we can see that the etymology refers to ideas of “support, back up or care”. It is a verb, a “doing” word that can be applied to actions we can take to sustain our inner world. When we take time to analyse our assumptions, paradigms, beliefs and values, we can open up to a more holistic approach to business. If we create a product or service that truly aligns with who we are it comes from the heart and will speak for itself. Creating from this perspective will increase motivation, productivity and flow.
It is time to study our perceptions, integrity and conscience, crafting a business with love, empathy and values. By doing this we can endeavour to create a business that has roots in sustainability and the ability to sustain ourselves as we continue our journey.