Quite often I hear people complaining that corporation is one of the worst places to be if you are interested in mindfulness, work-life balance and inner peace. Many still see corporation as the rat race and believe that in order to live fulfilling life and be truly happy one should get as far from the corporate world as possible. So they run… To the imaginable enlightenment somewhere far far away from corporation…


But is it really so? Is the corporation here to be blamed?

Let me ask you this – what does the corporation consist of? “People” is the most logical answer, I hope. If you look at the dictionary the definition of the corporation starts with “an association of individuals <…>”. Hence indeed, people are the essence of every corporation or company regardless how big or small it is. Therefore, depending on the mindsets of individuals we have very different corporate realities. We have horror stories about, the rat race and we also have stories where corporation becomes “the place to be”, where people feel respected, heard and consciously contributing to the common goal. In other words, everyone in the corporation, regardless the status or position, contribute to the corporate atmosphere and climate.

If we chose to agree with the above statement then it would mean that the responsibility of corporate reality is not only with CEOs, COOs or CFOs. Which, of course, is inconvenient, because it’s much easier to have someone to blame for everything what’s wrong, because those are people “with power”. And yet I ask again – is it really so?

Can CEO or CFO make sure that every single person lives company’s values and contributes to its purpose and mission? Corporate apparatus allows certain system of supervision however it is up to each of us to put the effort to create the environment where those values are lived. Company bylaws or internal regulations can give the direction however the atmosphere, the reality, the vibe are created by people. It is everyone’s responsibility, not only “those at the top”.

So what would happen if every mindful and balance person would run away in a search for better happiness and enlightenment? How could we bring the mindsets we are looking for if everyone would leave to never ending retreats become yoga teachers and would see themselves meditating in Bali 365 days/year? Would we have potential for corporate mindset evolution, creativity and mindful growth?

The way I see it is that for those who are curious, brave, creative and love challenges corporation serves as a field of endless opportunities and possibilities to develop themselves. Such people do not sit and complain how everyone and everything is “not working”, “not caring” or simply “bad”. They start asking very uncomfortable yet thought provoking questions: “what can I do differently?” or “how can I change my behavior or mindset?” or “how can I develop myself?”. They don’t have time for complaining and moaning because they are too busy putting effort to become the change they wanna see in the world and practicing what they preach.

For me corporation is the place where I can build/strengthen my discipline, willpower, inner strength and many other qualities. Of course, it is way easier to meditate somewhere high in the mountains than next to the loud colleague. It is way more exciting to travel though jungle and get lost into shamanic experiences than spend time filling another report or planning a budget. And yet somehow those easy and pleasant things do not always feel entirely fulfilling…

I do believe in corporation. I do see it as a place to live my values, contribute to the better good and be a catalyst for the change. I know that nobody prevents me from treating others with respect, promoting the benefits of personal development or connecting to similarly passionate. For me is a transformational space which rewards everyone who decides to stay and contribute to their own personal growth because I do believe that the mindset and belief of one person can create big and lasting changes.

For me the biggest reward is to meet likeminded people. Those who not only have amazing ideas but also passion and willpower to make them reality. They don’t care about their job titles or the fact that “nobody has done it before” or that someone once said that “there’s no place for such thing in corporation”. They take responsibility and act. This is how amazing initiatives and long-awaited changes are born: coaching and mentoring programmes, women circles, mindful management and so on. It’s not because of those who once ran away in search of everlasting happiness. It is because of those who stayed and invested their time and effort to become better versions of themselves.