Profit with Presence

About the Author

Eric J. Holsapple is a seasoned entrepreneur, real estate developer, and the founder of Living in the Gap. With over four decades of experience in the business world, Eric has masterfully combined his professional acumen with a deep commitment to mindfulness. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and an MBA, and his journey into mindfulness began as a quest for personal fulfillment amidst a thriving career. His unique approach, blending business success with mindful leadership, has garnered recognition and admiration in the corporate world. Eric’s mission is to help leaders integrate mindfulness into their daily lives, creating both personal and professional transformations.

Main Idea

Profit with Presence: The Twelve Pillars of Mindfulness by Eric J. Holsapple explores the intersection of mindfulness and business, presenting a framework for achieving success without sacrificing inner peace and purpose. The book underscores the significance of mindfulness in the corporate world, detailing twelve pillars that guide leaders towards creating a harmonious balance between material success and spiritual fulfillment. Holsapple emphasizes that true affluence and influence arise from a deep connection with our inner selves, advocating for a mindful approach to leadership that transforms both personal lives and business environments.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Part 1: Conceptual Framework
3. Part 2: The Twelve Pillars of Mindful Leadership
4. Part 3: Practicing Mindfulness In Your Business
5. Conclusion

Introduction

Practicing mindfulness isn't synonymous with abandoning material possessions or retreating from the world. Instead, it's about forging a profound connection with our inner world and discerning our life purpose. In Profit with Presence, Holsapple illustrates how applying mindfulness in business can lead to long-term profits, transform the world for the better, and address contemporary issues. He advocates for reclaiming focus through mindfulness to make a significant impact on oneself, business, family, community, and the world.

Part 1: Conceptual Framework

At its core, presence is about being fully existent and engaged in the moment. Holsapple discusses the realms of duality and nonduality, where presence and spirituality reside in nonduality, while profit and material success exist in duality. He uses Rupert Spira’s analogy, comparing our presence to a movie screen, with life experiences playing out on it. Transformation, in mindfulness, involves shifting from being identified with thoughts and ego to being centered in presence.

"We are the movie screen of Presence, and our life experiences play out as the contents within the movie." - Eric J. Holsapple

Holsapple introduces the concepts of "slow boils" and "transformational shocks" to achieve presence. Slow boils include consistent, everyday activities like yoga, meditation, journaling, and gratitude, which gradually enhance mindfulness. Transformation shocks, on the other hand, are dramatic experiences that open the mind to high levels of presence in a short time.