Last weekend on 1-2 April, I attended an enlightening workshop by a living avatar, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji). The tittle of the workshop was “Be Your Own Boss – Manifesting Leadership Consciousness”. In this workshop, he gave the 3 important principles for becoming your own boss which I am going to share here. Now, for those of you who are seriously considering jumping out of the corporate rat race to become your own boss or you are already your own boss, you will find some of these insights useful alongside with my own experience.

Swamiji said:”In Vedic tradition, everything starts with Saraswati (right knowledge). All solutions start with right knowledge as Saraswati is capable of manifesting Durga (power) and Lakshmi (abundance). What cognitions you carry about freedom, wealth and boss?”

When I first started my own business in 2009, I didn’t have the fortune of these knowledge at that time, I only had a strong desire to find fulfilment in my life. It took me to a longer journey before I tasted my first success in 2012 because I learned it the hard way – by making a lot of mistakes and learning the lessons which I was meant to learn. In this workshop, Swamiji gave the blueprint for not just being our own boss but being a LEADER of your life!

The first principle given by Swamiji: Correct and align the blue print you carry inside you with completion, meaning align all the cognitions you cherish inside your heart because whatever may be the wrong cognitions, you will make that into your reality. The first step is to do a thorough acid wash about your idea of being your own boss. Are you doing it out of wrong cognitions? For example, if you cognize yourself as bound by your boss, and you create logical ideas and fantasy about being a boss. Suddenly one day you get the power, you will only be bossing people around instead of being a boss!

My alignment came only after things didn’t go well. I had to do a lot of post-mortem contemplation and made difficult decisions. In the first 2 years after I left my corporate life, even though I was already my own boss, I was still carrying the worker’s mentality! So initially I was only living the worker’s version of the boss. I had to drop many of the societal conditionings that had been inserted into my system. The first thing I had to overcome was the insecurity and fear of ‘NOT ENOUGH’ mental setup. See, the society has built a kind of fear in us that we need to work till 65 years old to maintain the lifestyle we are enjoying now. That keeps us running on the rat race driven by fear and greed. Society also creates a false security blanket that if we have a secured job, a predictable income or annual pay package; and we are constantly reminded of this huge opportunity costs for not working. That cosy comfort zone keeps many people from striking out on their own. The moment you decide to take an untrodden path of being your own boss, you literally have to face the guilt of not conforming to the societal norm. I realized that I actually don’t need that much to live. I can live simply and I will simply live! I just need to drop the false insecurity. The second thing I had to let go was the expectation of a fixed income source monthly, I’ve learned how to live with utter insecurity of negative income i.e. digging into my savings while I continued to figure out my next big break. The third thing I dropped was being result- driven and replaced it with patience, passion and compassion with self.

Next, the second principle: Completing with the cognition of slavery! I moved away from feeling suffocated in a corporate life to suddenly living with complete freedom to decide my day and my mood, it was a refreshing change that I had to get used to. In that freedom, the expectation of people around me also grew as they saw the free time I had, it started to make me feel bound again! My idea of freedom was getting challenged. I went through a period of tension but I held on to what I was seeking – fulfillment and the freedom to do things that truly matters in my heart – such as the ability to spend time on my spiritual pursuit, time with my family and enriching the world aligned with the purpose of my birth. I finally understood that true freedom is every single decision is made by me, it is about living with integrity with my very existence. When everything is from my decision, only then I will be in the space of completion. Even if I have to give up something – like the prestige and wealth, I will not feel like missing that. Fundamentally, it is the ability to stand up to your life’s purpose with completion and living it is FREEDOM.

The third principle is taking responsibility – fitting into your responsibility with completion is Eshwaratva (leadership consciousness). Eshwaratva means ‘Power of Leading’ or ‘Power of being a Head’. Eshwaratva is one of the eight important powers (Astha Maha Siddhis) outlined in Vedic scriptures like Veda-Agamas and Yoga Sutra of Pantanjali. Only when you become an Eshwara (leader) of your life, you will experience completion.

According to Swamiji, every Jeeva (soul) comes with the software of Eshwaratva, it means we already carry the seed of Eshwaratva in us. All we need to do is to drop all the conditionings from society and decide to take responsibility for our life, then bring completion about it. It is only if you make decisions for yourself, you will be complete about your existence, you deciding to become responsible about your existence, you deciding to be complete about your responsibility, this two makes Eshwaratva happen in you. Only when you become a leader, the higher states of awareness start to open up in you. Samadhi (becoming consciousness) is for people whose all twenty-one logics are awakened and alive.  This is something so profound, only after I became a leader of my life, I began to understand the space of completion within myself and the ability to be complete with my responsibility and decisions. That feeling of powerfulness is something you have to experience it to know what it does to your consciousness. Now, I can understand why Swamiji gave his clarion call to all his disciples and devotees to be their own boss – this is an expansion of awakening the leadership consciousness in all of us.

During my 3-month program in Nithyananda Yogam living in Swamiji’s breathing at Bengaluru adheenam, the seed of coaching aspiring spiritual entrepreneurs was planted at that time. When I returned to  Singapore, I started putting together the syllabus for this coaching module in January. Everything just flowed like Ganga and by February, I started coaching the first batch of budding entrepreneurs. This new expansion brings out the tremendous energy, creativity and possibility to the team. It is amazing to witness when people are able to crack this important piece of puzzle in them!  My deep gratitude to Swamiji for blessing me with this gift.

In essence, ‘Be your own boss’ is a spiritual awakening process to become a blissful leader which is already within all of us. Just have the courage to jump out of illusions (maya) created by unconscious society. Let you be a leader of your life! Namaste 😀

Note: If you are interested to find out more about ‘Be Your Own Boss” coaching, just email to me at [email protected].