By Kate Bellosillo
As the CEO of Kyani Philippines, people always ask me, “How did you manage in 2020, during the height of the pandemic?” They are always pleasantly surprised with my response, “Would you believe, our company achieved the highest sales in its history during this time?” Of course, the next question is, “How did you do it?” My reply is simple, “As well as the dedication and hard work of our staff, there are also spiritual practices that contributed to our success.”
First spiritual practice: Quiet prayer or meditation
I came to know about quiet prayer as a young wife and mother. A Franciscan nun, who became my close friend, taught me how to still the soul amid the busyness of daily life. She showed me the beauty of deeply entering the silence of my heart, so that I can be present with the great Presence – God. As a young mother with eight children, I came to see that this daily practice helped me cope with the difficult challenges of motherhood. Back then, I was struggling with a sickly first-born child. This was followed by the horrifying experience of our two sons being kidnapped for ransom. Much later, I discovered that my youngest child was not cut out for traditional education, which branded her as a ‘slow learner.’
I realised that quiet prayer could not only help us get through the challenges of our daily lives, but also limit challenging situations when we feel pushed up against the wall. A moment where we have nothing and no one to turn to. A few examples could be when we get seriously ill, or we lose someone we love, or we get fired from our job. Just like mobile phones that need to be recharged, our hearts, minds and spirits need to be re-energised by the power of quiet prayer.
Oprah Winfrey said it beautifully, “The number one thing that we need to be successful in this world, is something that gives back and nourishes us, and that is meditation. Meditation can help fill your cup, make yourself whole, so your cup runneth over and now allows you to give to others. Otherwise, you will feel burnt out, because you cannot continue to give what you do not have.” Successful people such as Oprah, Steve Jobs, Simon Sinek, Vishen Lakhiani of Mindvalley, Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn among many, have found strength in meditation.
I have also seen that, from moments of silence and stillness, creativity, and inspirational flow, questions are finally answered and what we need comes to us with ease. For example, the months of April and May 2020 were the most challenging times for Kyani Philippines, as sales plunged to an all-time low. I mentioned this concern during a prayer, and, in the silence of my heart, I asked God: “How can I help our company bounce back from the disruption caused by the pandemic?” Do you know what happened? I came across the masterclass of Ken Honda on Money EQ on the Mindvalley platform. For me, this was truly divine grace. I studied for about a month and practiced the principle of Arigato In Arigato Out, which is simply about being grateful for the money we spend and the money we receive.
Second spiritual practice: Be grateful
Gratitude has a way of unlocking the fullness of life. We should not focus on what we do not have, but be grateful for what we do have. Instead of seeing the cup as half empty, see it as half full. Keeping a gratitude journal, where we take time to write down three to five things that we are thankful for every day, allow us to focus on the goodness in life to create more of it.
During the Ken Honda masterclass, I learnt that money is energy. It is all around us and flows to us as we need it. The practice of Arigato In Arigato Out is supposed to attract the flow of happy money into our lives with peace and ease. True enough, when I practiced it, amazing things began to happen. Unexpectedly, a long-lost friend called and greeted me with a happy birthday. She said, “Kate, remember when I was down and out, you were there to help me? Please text me your bank account details, I would like to give you a gift for your birthday.” Lo and behold, I received a huge cash gift! Wow, the principle of Arigato In Arigato Out really worked.
I was inspired to create a simple module of the lessons I learned from Ken Honda, and I called it Money EQ: Resetting Your Mind for Financial Success. I shared it with the top business partners of our company and our management staff. In June 2020, our sales grew by a whopping 70%. On top of that, it increased by 56% in July. We continued to have a strong August, September, and October. In 2020, despite the pandemic, we registered the highest sales in our history.
Third spiritual practice: Be kind
Kindness is a gift that everyone can afford to give. We do things for people not because of who they are, or what they can give us in return, but because kindness is a way of expressing our truest, best self. It can be expressed with a smile, a hand that is extended in love, a gentle word, even a small, thoughtful gesture. In the Philippines, during the two years when much of our country was on lockdown and life was so uncertain, we put our people first. We continued to pay our employees’ salaries and provided them shuttle service so they can go to work and return home safely every day. It is true that when you take care of your people, they take care of your business.
May these three spiritual practices open you up to infinite possibilities of greater fulfilment in your business and in your personal life. Begin today, by turning on the light.
About Kate Bellosillo
Kate is a single mother of eight children, who has been the CEO of Kyani Philippines – a subsidiary of an American company in the health and wellness industry – since 2014. Her business remains in the top ten out of sixty markets worldwide. As Zonta president, she is deeply involved in conducting life transformation seminars for the inmates of the Correctional Institute for Women. Kate is also a board member of the Tanging Yaman Foundation – helping to raise funds to feed malnourished children, provide support to less fortunate communities, and offer scholarships. In 2021, she won the Global Woman Corporate Leader Award given by Global Woman Club.
