The buzz I’ve been feeling after our Conscious Growth Workshop has been incredible. I haven’t slept more than 4-5 hours a night since the workshop ended. I had NO IDEA how much the energy of being around so many great people would impact me personally. I got far more value from the experience than I would have thought possible.

Something about the energy of the room pushed me to keep stepping up my own energy. If you attended the workshop, you may have noticed a shift in me too from Day 1 to Day 2 to Day 3. Those shifts have been continuing and increasing this week. It feels like a tremendous amount of blocked energy was freed up, and I’m more passionate about my life and my purpose than I’ve ever been.

I am anxious to do another workshop, not just because of the huge transformations I saw in others but because of the major shifts I experienced in myself. I can’t even fathom where I’ll be after doing 5-10 more of these. And the ongoing rippling effects created by other attendees will be incredible to behold.

More Workshops

We’re definitely doing this workshop again. I already contacted Harrah’s to tell them we wanted to schedule another one ASAP. Later today I have an appointment on the Strip to check out potential meeting locations.

Specifically I’m looking at January 15-17, 2010 (Fri-Sun), but this is very tentative. The same room isn’t available on that date, but there are other places available. The most promising location at this point seems to be the Flamingo, which is just a couple doors down from Harrah’s, still right in the middle of the Vegas Strip.

At least for the next workshop or two, I’d like to stick with groups of 100-125 people, not including repeat attendees. We had 115 people for this first one, and that worked very well. It was big enough to generate plenty of energy and audience interaction, and it was small enough to create a sense of connection, intimacy, and friendship. Erin and I were able to personally meet and talk to most of the attendees, and on the second day we went out to lunch with a group of them. I really liked the level of connection we were able to share. If we had 500+ people, we wouldn’t be able to manage the same level of personal interaction — it would be too overwhelming. But on the flip side, that many people would be able to generate a lot more energy. This may be a tough balancing act, and we’ll just have to experiment to see what works best.

I get the feeling we won’t be able to keep these small for long. Ideally I want to be doing these workshops about once a month.

Las Vegas

I intend to stick with Las Vegas for the location for at least the next several workshops. We had people flying in from all over the world for the first workshop, and Las Vegas itself is a natural (or perhaps unnatural) draw.

Harrah’s was great to work with. They own many properties in Las Vegas, so I can work with a single meeting planner to scout lots of possible locations. They own Harrah’s Hotel, the Flamingo, Caesar’s Palace, Bally’s, Paris, the Rio, and Imperial Palace. Our meeting planner likes to say, “We have infinite inventory available. Whatever you need, we’ll find you a room.” I love her attitude. 🙂

Aside from the fact that Erin and I live in Las Vegas, the main reason I like this location is because of the rich social opportunities that are available 24/7. At the first workshop there were some “homework” assignments that people did outside the workshop room. All they had to do to find people was to go downstairs, and they’d find a sea of approachable tourists playing slot machines… or a line of people queued up for a buffet. Las Vegas has a very fun and lively energy to it, so it’s a great fit for the energy generated by our workshop.

Yes, Las Vegas has its vices, but that’s exactly why I think it’s such a perfect fit for a workshop on conscious growth. The city is all about freedom and acceptance. If you want to drink, smoke, gamble, stay out all night, or have sex, you have the freedom to do that here. I think a city that defends your freedom of choice so staunchly is the perfect backdrop for the sort of transformation we want to encourage with this workshop. This is a city where people are out living life and having fun. It’s not a city that demands you spend your life in a soul-sucking cubicle.

Another city that could be a good fit would be New York City. But the people there seem to be always in motion, hurrying from one place to another. In Las Vegas, it’s easy to find people just hanging out, sitting at a slot machine, and having fun. Since so many people here are on vacation, the open energy makes it much easier for our workshop attendees to go out and start conversations with strangers. And they can’t use the excuse that they couldn’t find anyone to talk to, even if they do the exercises at 3am.

Friday and Saturday nights are always bustling on the Vegas Strip, so having our workshop on those days makes a lot of sense to me. It’s hard to imagine a more lively place on earth than the Vegas Strip on a Friday night.

I know that some people will groan about having to travel here, but my intuition says this is the right place for us to be for now, so I’m going to trust that.

I also have a special personal connection with Las Vegas. It’s long been my favorite city. Doing workshops in this city helps keep me in a fun, high-energy state. Other cities simply don’t excite me as much as Las Vegas.

Plus I think it’s just insanely cool that I get to go to work on the Vegas Strip. We don’t have our own neon sign yet, but we can dream. I just need to figure out how to work in some showgirls and maybe a tiger or two. 🙂

Free Repeat for First-Time Attendees

Anyone who attended the first workshop is welcome to attend another one anytime within the next year for free. That’s my way of saying thanks for being part of the very first CGW, which I think we can agree was something very special. It can only get better from here as we continue to experiment with the format (authority), take some creative risks (courage), listen to feedback (truth), create a deeper and more connected space for working together (love, oneness), and hold the intention and take action to improve (power).

Did you know that we were generating so much energy in the room that we blew out 6 light bulbs near the stage? (Fortunately, Harrah’s wonderful staff replaced them within a matter of minutes during one of the breaks.) We also blew a few wireless mikes.

After Effects

Electronic devices are having problems around me. When I got home, my desktop computer started overheating repeatedly, even though it’s cool in the room and outside. Last night it overheated again, and I can’t even get it to boot up now. I have all my data on an external hard drive, so no worries there, but I may need a new computer soon. My phone also kept disconnecting during phone calls with another workshop attendee, and this morning my phone provider was having an outage. Sorry, Vonage. 🙂

I’ve been noticing a major increase in synchronicities since the workshop. The details are a bit too complicated to explain. But it’s very clear to me that this is something I need to keep doing.

On Monday sixteen workshop attendees who were still in town came to a Toastmasters meeting with Erin and me. Erin is our club President, and our club, Powerhouse Pros, is the largest in Vegas. The energy we brought to the room was so high that it elevated everyone. I was impressed to see everyone take their skills to a whole new level. It was one of the most hilarious meetings we’ve ever had. Alex Wu’s Table Topics answer was absolutely hysterical — I was still laughing about it on the way home. I didn’t have a speaking role at that meeting, although I contributed a bit of observational humor at the end.

After enjoying such a fun, high energy meeting, I couldn’t help but think… What the heck did we put in those green orbs??? (an inside joke for workshop attendees)

Returning Home

If you attended the workshop, you may be noticing a stark contrast between the person you used to be and the person you’ve become (or are becoming). It’s when you return to your old environment that you really notice how much you’ve grown. Believe me — you definitely aren’t alone. I’ve been hearing about this contrast from lots of attendees.

You may be feeling an increasing sense of disconnect with your old life. Relationships with certain people may begin to feel pointless or lifeless. Try watching TV, and you may be able to barely tolerate it — it’s utterly boring no matter what you watch, isn’t it? Your sleep patterns may shift. You may be able to barely stomach going to work. In fact, several workshop participants either left their old jobs immediately upon returning home, or they made commitments in front of other people or on YouTube videos to quit their jobs within a matter of months. Amazing!

This is a good time to go ahead and shed that which you know is soulless and heartless. Let it go and simplify your life. Create the space for something new. Jettison the excess junk as you embark on your journey from Planet A to Planet B.

The most important thing that you can do is to keep your vibration up. Hold that new level for as long as you can.

Remember to apply the principle of Love. Reach out and connect with other highly conscious people, including the friends you made at the workshop.

My commitment is to do whatever I can to facilitate your continued growth and help you apply what you learned from the workshop.

For starters, to help workshop attendees stay in touch and keep connecting, we’ve added a new discussion forum. Anyone can participate, including people who didn’t attend the workshop, but this is a great way for workshop attendees to stay in touch, discuss the after-effects of the workshop, and keep encouraging each other to apply the principles to sustain positive momentum.

But don’t just use email and the forums to stay in touch. It’s really important that you pick up the phone now and then, or arrange a face-to-face meet-up. It’s important to connect with the other people’s energy, and the Internet is unfortunately a weak medium for that. I’ve probably spent 15-20 hours on the phone this week after the workshop, and it really makes a huge difference.

Remember that we’re all in this together. You do not have to go it alone. Tapping into that social support is very important at this time. If you stay connected with other highly conscious people, they will help you stay grounded in that new place of being and help you avoid sinking back down.

Be sure to also apply the principles of Power and Authority. This is a great time to kick off a new 30-day trial. Also, take some small actions to move forward. Don’t think you have to change everything all at once. Start with little changes here and there. One attendee rearranged his office as soon as he got back, in order to help break the old patterns of thinking and doing.

Take the cover of one of the handouts from the workshop with the Truth-Love-Power triangle, and post it on the wall in front of you, so you’ll see it every day and remember to apply the principles to your life. If you want a copy of that image in digital form, feel free to copy-paste the one below.

Be patient with yourself. It’s going to take time for your outer reality to catch up to your new inner reality. Those changes won’t manifest overnight, but they will happen if you can hold yourself to your new state of being, so just enjoy the process of unfolding. Take note of the daily shifts and new synchronicities that are popping up in your life, and flow with them.

Follow the path with a heart. This is the time to drop all the heartless connections from your life. You already know where the old path leads. Do you really want to keep following it? Remind yourself that maintaining heartless, soulless connections in your life is a STUPID path. Stop giving your power away.

Think bigger. Begin to notice ways you can be of service to others and to the larger body of humanity. You don’t have to seek them out. They’ll find you. And when you notice an opportunity to serve, pounce on it without hesitation, and throw yourself into it fully.

When you feel ready, make some new decisions — REAL decisions. Remember that the word decide comes from the Latin decidere, which means “to cut off from.” Don’t give your power away to excuses. Go out and get the lunch you want to eat. If you get blocked, let it be because the world beat you down and your muscles failed you, not because you gave up and pre-failed in your mind.

Connect with people. Say hi to someone new as frequently as possible. Set a minimum standard for yourself like one new connection per day or per week — a few workshop participants have already committed to this. Keep pushing yourself to connect socially. Don’t retreat back into your cocoon where the Internet becomes your primary portal to the rest of humanity. Your primary communication device is your body, not your computer, so use your body to go outside and connect.

Take time for journaling. Write about your workshop experiences, so you can remember them. Review your notes and written exercises. If you feel so inclined, blog about your experiences. Several bloggers have already done so.

Referring People

If you want to refer others to future CGWs, I ask that you do so wisely, responsibly, and with careful consideration. Ask yourself if the person you’re referring is really on the path of conscious growth, or are they still in the unconscious growth phase. Is s/he ready for such a big shift? If not, please don’t refer them.

If you attended this workshop, it should be clear that CGW is not for everyone. You need to have at least a minimum basic level of alignment with Truth, Love, and Power to benefit from it. That’s one of the reasons I charge admission for it. If your Power is so low that the entry fee seems like an enormous barrier, it’s safe to say you probably won’t have the strength to really do the work, especially the exercises that require some courage. You may or may not have noticed that one woman left the room crying on the very first day. This workshop can generate some intense inner processing, and not everyone is ready for that.

CGW is like an advanced yoga class. If you’re new to yoga, then it’s unwise to jump into an advanced class without training in a basic class first. My articles and podcasts collectively form the basic class, and they’re free to everyone. My book is an intermediate step. But this workshop is meant to take things to a more advanced level for those who are ready for it. It is far removed from a basic self-help seminar. So be careful about referring people to this workshop who haven’t yet done enough of the inner development work necessary to benefit from it. People you refer should at least feel they are personally responsible for their lives, be able to afford the registration price without undue hardship, and have a stable social environment around them.

It’s not my intention to draw as many people as possible and sell, sell, sell. If you attended CGW, that should be obvious. My role is to help create the space to assist you on your path of conscious growth. Holding that space requires that the people within it have enough Truth, Love, and Power alignment to help us stay at a high level of consciousness without being dragged back down. That isn’t easy, and it takes a serious commitment from the whole room. If you felt yourself unusually tired after the workshop, even when you didn’t physically exert yourself much, it’s because you were holding a higher vibration in your body, and it was a bit of a strain to keep it there. And that’s okay.

I am now leaving for the Strip to find us a new location for CGW #2. 🙂