Marco Houwen has long been the “Internet and Cloud guy” in Luxembourg. His atypical career of more than 20 years in ICT led him onto his path today where he supports leaders at the heart of their entrepreneurial process. He does this as a strategic life coach for senior executives and entrepreneurs. Marco frequently contributes to TransForNation sharing insight and his experience for practicing authentic and holistic leadership in a turbulent, disoriented world.

Michael Jackson said in his song “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change”.

Thanks Michael, but this reflecting back via the mirror — to change our world – is just the first step. In my experience, I have found that it is the question that drives us. Awareness of what motivates us helps to capitalize on how we can affect our career, our environments and relationships. It is however, stepping into and onto a path of not just being aware, but knowing who we truly are on a deeper level that is fundamentally our “life sentence.” This is the journey of a spiritual entrepreneur.  Truly knowing who we really are…this question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, rather it must be personally experienced through walking our inner journey. 

First of all, nobody else will ever be a better ‘Expert of You’ than you. Most leadership guru’s preach to us that we merely need to discover our life’s purpose, follow it and our fulfilment simply transpires. And for some, this does occur; you know the types — those intuitively curious and naturally at ease about how life works. For those who are like me and have been searching hard for their purpose and bashing themselves up during the process, this is a totally different story. Finding one’s purpose and following it does not work for many. And it certainly doesn’t work well when it is artificially imposed or externally driven from societal or external factors. 

The journey of knowing ourselves is like peeling an ever-growing onion: there is always another layer.

Another critical understanding along this way of spiritual entrepreneurship is that the process is never really done. It is not just our purpose nor the destination that gives meaning to life. The journey of knowing ourselves is like peeling an ever-growing onion: there is always another layer. And it is our being, existing consciously along that journey what matters. Not a focus on knowing who we will be in 20 years; more about living each moment as who we actually are so that we may connect the points that reveal the now. 

How do we get ‘there’ then, one might ask? The answer lies in BEing before doing. Walking a conscious inner journey and embracing that one’s personal creation is the real purpose in life.

Society sells us on the promise that every purpose is external, like saving the climate, fighting for women’s rights, flying to Mars,…etc. All those purposes are very important to push humanity forward. The question that drives me is: how do we approach the huge societal challenges we face? What sense does it make to get all worked up through the external stimuli for someone else’s purpose? BEing unique as each human being is, compels us to connect with the purpose within each one of us. We know many of those who have commited to such a journey. Some of these lifeforces have made a profound impact on the world: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, …just to name a few obvious ones. They deeply connected with who they truly were first, invested in their BEing and then took the next step to influence people around them. Their impact on the world remains rooted in our lives today. 

Such strength only comes from within. The real power we own is the courage to walk our journey consciously, to be honest with ourselves and be vulnerable in front of others.

Those who muster the courage to look into the mirror and love what they see, will access their true power of all creation.