DAY 3
I was almost overcome by sadness on the morning of Day 3. The workshop was almost over. It felt all too short. But I was also feeling disconnected from my life back home. My job, my friends, it was a world away. Where would I go from here?
During the workshop I was almost a different person from the “me” back home. Here, I was more courageous, more connecting, more loving. These were qualities I lacked to some degree back home, but in Las Vegas, at the workshop, a lot of my old “blocks” simply melted away.
We had just 3 areas to cover on Day 3: Emotions, Relationships and Spiritual Development. As usual, we applied the 7 principles of personal growth to each area, to see how we could improve our alignment. I have to admit the format got a bit boring near the end, and it became increasingly difficult to fill in all the blanks because it wasn’t making a lot of sense to me how courage applied to my emotions, or spiritual development. It was a real treat to have Erin come on stage for the Relationships segment. Steve and Erin discussed some of the problems they’ve run into and how they’ve dealt with them. They’re such an awesome couple; they complement each other really well, and there’s this energy and love between them that I haven’t seen in many other couples.
The workshop ended with an extended Q&A session, before ending in a guided meditation by Steve. I have to admit meditations aren’t my strong point – my mind especially loves to wander and I get bored easily. But I could feel the meditation having some effect on me, and based on how I felt after the workshop, one of those green orbs did make its way into me
The workshop room was abuzz with activity after the workshop. People were trading hugs, stories and contact info. I felt like something really awesome had come to an end, and the people who were part of it slowly trickled out the door. Soon, we were kicked out into the adjoining hallway, where a bunch of us stayed until about 5pm.
That night I was part of a group of six that went to see the Cirque du Soleil show “Mystere” at Treasure Island. It was my first time seeing a show in Vegas, and I was impressed. We sat in the front row where we got be part of the audience interaction
DAY 4
Day 4 wasn’t officially part of the workshop, but it was a big part of the growth. I had got together a little hiking group (Taz, Sonya, Joachim and myself) to go out to Red Rock Canyon, and we met at 9am at the front entrance of Imperial Palace. The plan was to rent a car at the Hertz in Harrah’s, but they were out of cars. So while I wanted to find another car rental company on the strip, the rest of my group insisted on taking a taxi so that we got there faster (and, they presumed, cheaper). About an hour later, we were dropped off by a taxi at the Red Rock Canyon visitor centre, armed only with water, juice, trail mix, chips and salsa that we picked up at the Walgreen’s attached to the Venetian. We had a surprisingly good time, even though we were restricted to the trails that were accessible from the visitor centre (we were carless). The trick was getting back to Vegas in time for Toastmasters. Even though we had prearranged a cab to come pick us up at 4:00, no cab showed up. The park staff let us call a different cab company with their phone, and an hour later, a taxi fully clad in Las Vegas-style advertising pulled up to the park gate. We were overcome with joy, running to it with arms flailing.
We got to Steve’s Toastmasters club just as the other groups were pulling up. I suppose it was divine intervention
I had an awesome time at Steve’s club. The people were energetic, took their roles seriously and humorously, and I was really grateful to take part in Table Topics (the impromptu speaking session). While I didn’t quite answer the question I was asked, the best I could come up with was to parody a Chinese restaurant owner I had once encountered back home in Ottawa.
Anita, a workshop attendee and a local Las Vegan, drove us back to the strip where we were planning to see a showing of the Phantom. In a gesture of generosity that shocked and touched me, she offered to come into the Venetian with us to buy our tickets so we could get a local discount. Between buying the tickets and the start of the show, we had 25 minutes to eat dinner. The Chinese noodle house in the Venetian was very accommodating ;o)
TAKE-AWAYS
When I got home to Ottawa, it was clear my vibration had changed. I was making eye contact, smiling and saying hello to people on the street. I hugged my office mates – some of them were asking what happened to me in Vegas. The first day back to work I put my boss on “notice”. Basically, I told him I wasn’t a vibrational match for the job and would eventually quit. I reconnected with some conscious friends whom I had lost touch with, and disconnected with others whom I no longer resonated with. I’m planning on starting a personal development meetup group, and I’ve continued the exercise of saying something stupid to someone everyday as a 30-day trial.
I’ve never felt this loving or connecting ever before in my life, and suddenly many of my old fears have melted like candles in the hot sun. The key now is to keep the momentum going, and my vibration up. The workshop was the major boost I was needing and craving. I am 100% certainly going to be back at the January workshop, and I hope to see more of you there!
Meeting and hanging out with the other attendees was one of the best parts of the workshop. Just that alone was WORTH what I paid.
Do whatever you can to be at the pre-workshop meetup. Many people who missed it later told me they regretted it. Sit closer to the front of the workshop room – you can see and hear better. Go out with your fellow workshop attendees at every opportunity – this is a good time to either be a leader and organize activities or be a yes man and say yes to every meal, show and excursion you get invited to. You’ll learn as much from the people at workshop (perhaps more) as you’ll learn from the workshop itself.