The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

July 29Soul Care

No thinking being lives who, at some luminous point in their life of thought, has not felt lost amid the surges of futile efforts at understanding, or believing, that anything exists greater than their own soul.

Edgar Allan Poe—“Eureka” (1848)

A great many of the works I've cited in this book are considered literary classics, yet many of the authors of these works also focused on developing rich spiritual practices that are today perhaps considered commonplace.

They encouraged journaling, meditation, walking in nature, reading, and simple living as ways to develop the soul and forge a path to divine living. They questioned the common religious dogma of the time and elected to put themselves in charge of finding and caring for their soul.

Call it your soul or whatever you like—humbly discovering the dignity of our personal nature is possibly all we were set on this earth to do.

It is this element of self-reliance that led many of these authors to champion and lead social reforms such as women's rights, the abolition of slavery, and education reform.

Entrepreneurship is lauded as an economic driver and job creator, but the societal contribution of entrepreneurs is often undervalued.

Entrepreneurs who make self-reliance a lifelong chase often include social reforms as a driving force behind their ventures. This can come in the form of an innovative way to approach an underserved population or through an internal culture that prioritizes personal growth and ...