Discoveries in quantum physics are transforming the way we perceive our relationships with everyone around us, the nature of reality itself, and even the forces at work in the corporate world.
Annually, Dolphin Bay Chemicals’ managing director Bertus Coetzee hosts a workshop where his team focuses on a specific aspect of physics – a subject he has an abiding interest in. He firmly believes that an understanding of quantum physics can transform attitudes toward business; inspire staff; and create a positive, inspiring workplace where every employee exceeds expectations.
This year, focus has been on the Higgs Boson particle and its effects on space-time. They’ve since formulated three key lessons for the growth of any business:
1Thoughts matter
The Higgs Boson particle is named after Peter Higgs, who surmised that it must exist and would be responsible for some particles – all of which consist of energy – gaining mass, while others do not.
Scientists have since established that it does exist, and allocates mass to matter as it moves through the “Higgs field”; which they believe is everywhere. Photons, for example, move through the Higgs Field very quickly without attracting any particles while electrons attract many.
The more Higgs Boson particles a molecule attracts, the heavier it is. The heavier the substance, the more it bends space-time; a newer explanation of gravity. For example, the sun which has tremendous mass bends space-time greatly and causes the planets to follow its space-time curvature.
A practical application would be to imagine that a couple enters a room full of people. One of them moves through the room quickly; while the other has a hard time moving at all because so many people stop to speak with them. This popular person influences and affects the dynamics in the room.
Our thoughts create a space-time of their own. The more importance we give them, the greater the change of the brain’s ‘space-time curvature’ – in the same way as the popular person’s presence shaped the flow of people in the room. We may think our thoughts are private; confined to our minds and largely inconsequential. This is however not true.
Our thoughts are tremendously powerful: they craft identities, determine behaviour, and influence the reality around us.
2‘How’ is as important as ‘what’
The annual workshops have proven to be great sources of new insights, as each member of the Dolphin Bay team interprets the subject matter from their personal perspective.
“I had no idea what was expected,” said one. “Lucky for me, I have a good friend called Google!
“After a lot of research I came across a Shari Bench article, ‘Why positive energy is important in the workplace’, and at that point I realised that everything is a result of the energy we contribute.How we contribute as important aswhat. I was so fascinated that I created my own ‘Einstein-Business-Equation’, F = RC2 using Focus, Results and Consistency.”
3Cultivate thoughts with care
The interest of Dolphin Bay Chief Financial Officer Marlize Jacobs was piqued by how thoughts come to exist, and what affects them.
“During my research I found articles by John Kehoe about the power of the mind. What you focus on, you attract. If you focus on success, you will attract success. You can also turn a negative thought or incident into a positive by seeing it as something you can grow from.
“He also describes the subconscious mind as being deep fertile soil, which accepts the habitual thoughts and beliefs – the seeds – constantly being sown within it. Your conscious mind is like the gardener who chooses wisely what reaches your subconscious mind.
“The trick is to know what you want, to visualise it, and think of it as if it has already occurred. This way you will attract that which you want to achieve.”
