Loving-Kindness Isn’t Just Personal—It’s How We Change the World

Love, Business, and the Courage to Go Against the Grain

I’ve been under the weather the last few weeks—nothing too serious, but enough to slow me down, force me to rest, and require me to ask for help. Neither of these are my strong suits.

As I’ve been resting, I’ve spent more time on the couch than usual, watching Grantchester—I do love a British Murder Mystery. The storyline that has captivated me most is about Leonard, a curate whose life unravels when he is imprisoned for being gay in an era when love itself was criminalized. He lost his job, his home, and his freedom.

His friends stood by him. There were protests. And, over time, the laws changed. Love, which should never have been illegal to begin with, became recognized as something worth protecting.

Still, it makes me think: What happens when we let fear keep us from going against the grain?

I no longer go to “church,” but after a night of watching Grantchester and being troubled by Leonard's treatment in the courts, I found myself reaching for a book I hadn’t opened in over 15 years—Women’s Uncommon Prayers. A slip of paper fell out. On one side, a passage from Psalm 72. On the other, my own handwriting, notes I had taken while listening to a homily from Father Hofer.

The sermon itself is long forgotten, but in my scrawled notes, two messages stood out:

Loving-Kindness. It appears over and over. Bring into work.

Believe that what has not yet come to be may dare to unfold through the Spirit within you.

No context. No recollection of the broader message in the sermon. But I do remember my discussions with Father Hofer. We often discussed the many rivers flowing from the one source of Love to create wisdom traditions. We talked about how human corruption has muddied the waters of the teachings that have been passed down. And yet, no matter where our conversations took us we always returned to Love as the tie that binds us together.

And now, as we step into February—the month often dedicated to romantic love—I find myself reflecting on the deeper meanings of love and kindness, not just in relationships, but in the way we move through the world and conduct our work. And I am struck by how much we need to return to loving-kindness—in our work, in our lives, in our communities.

Rumi reminds us: Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

In the Buddhist tradition, love is not a fleeting emotion but a practice of boundless, compassionate kindness. I first learned about loving-kindness meditation (I’ve shared more on the practice below in the Wildpreneur Field Guide) years ago at Bucknell University, where I took religion classes for "fun." The practice was taught as a means of centering the spirit in love—not just for oneself but for the whole world.

And right now, the world is aching for love.

Bringing Loving-Kindness Into Business

If I return to the call from that long-ago homily—believe that what has not yet come to pass can still be created. And bring love into the work—then I have to ask: how do we do this? How do we weave loving-kindness into the very fabric of our businesses?

It starts with small, intentional choices:

• Redefine success. What if success wasn’t about endless scaling, but about deep impact and aligned integrity? What if it meant serving the right people, not just more people?
  

• Prioritize generosity. Where can you give before asking? How can your work be an offering as much as it is an income source?
  

• Practice deep listening. What does your business want to become? What do your people truly need?
  

• Reject the culture of urgency. Sustainable success is rooted in presence, not in panic. What happens when you build at the pace of wisdom instead of the pace of fear?
  

• Lead with love. Not performative, people-pleasing love. The kind of love that is boundaried, clear, and committed to something bigger than just a bottom line.

I was talking with a younger associate who is deeply committed to helping others heal. She has spent the last decade training in trauma-informed work, yet she resists marketing her practice. "I don’t want to fall into the trap of self-promotion," she told me. "I don’t want to become a 'celebrity' and start thinking too much of myself."

Her question was simple: How can I do it differently?

The answer is equally simple—but not easy.
Connect with the soul of your business.
Ask: What do the people I serve need? How can I meet them there?

Can I guarantee that this will make you wealthy? No. I can guarantee that it will make you a lighthouse for those who need your work.

And if we don’t start doing business differently now—infusing it with love, integrity, and a commitment to real service—where will we be in five years? The systems we create today shape the world we live in tomorrow, and it is in our hands to shape the future.

The Courage to Go Against the Grain

As I mentioned above, Leonard’s storyline has captivated me—I find myself wanting to hug him and tell him how loved he is, even in the face of all the hatred that will face him in the episodes ahead.

What happens when we let fear keep us from going against the grain? What happens when we let fear take away our voices?

We have to be willing to do things differently. To choose another way. To believe that what has not yet come to pass can still be created.

Don’t lose hope. Even in the dark—especially in the dark.
Continue to be the light amidst the storm.
Stand together.
Make change.
Be the light in a world of darkness.
Practice loving-kindness.
Make your work a lighthouse for those who need it.

Wildpreneur Field Guide: Practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness meditation is a practice of expanding compassion, starting with yourself and radiating outward to others. Here’s how to begin:

1. Find a quiet space. I like to hold a string of beads as I say the meditation, grounding myself in both the physical and spiritual world.

2. Call to mind someone you struggle with. Instead of pushing them away, include them in your practice.

3. Repeat the following lines five times, expanding the reach of your love.

For Yourself:

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be safe.

May I live with ease.

For a Loved One:

May (name) be happy.

May (name) be healthy.

May (name) be safe.

May (name) live with ease.

For a Neutral Person:

May (name) be happy.

May (name) be healthy.

May (name) be safe.

May (name) live with ease.

For a Difficult Person:

May (name) be happy.

May (name) be healthy.

May (name) be safe.

May (name) live with ease.

For All Beings Everywhere:

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be healthy.

May all beings be safe.

May all beings live with ease.

Let this practice be a reminder: love is not something we find. Love is something we cultivate—in ourselves, in our work, and in the world we are creating together.