Reverence…From Latin reverentia, from revereri ‘stand in awe of’ (see revere ) (New Oxford American Dictionary)

(To be clear, we are not speaking of any form of religious dogma or doctrine.)

Reverence = A deep and abiding respect for…

To what do you currently bring reverence? To what do you stand in awe of? To what and whom do you bring a deep and abiding respect for?

Imagine for a moment that you bring a deep and abiding respect to your customers? To your product or service? That you stand in awe of your staff? The community in which you work? The environment?

Instead, we seem to have created reverence for money, the making of money, profit at any cost. Money has become our God. This is not only a tragedy, but it is also our undoing.

For the artisan business person or company, reverence as a business practice is what distinguishes them from the factory and the machine. Those who toil with love over their craft, who refuse to bend to the mighty ‘profit at all cost’, who intend for the customer to stand in awe of their product or service, these artists and positive deviants are like a fresh water well in a desert, quenching the soul starved for beauty in design, service, care…they maintain the highest commitment to personal mastery in every domain of their life.

Practice reverence. Have it be the central part of your day and your work. Watch your life and your business change as you continue to practice.