CGW Lunch breaks

[Savage]

Did you feel that 90 minutes was too little time for lunch at CGW? I'm considering 2-hour lunch breaks for CGW #2, so we'd end a half-hour later each day, but we'd still have the same amount of time in session.

I think with a 2-hour lunch, people wouldn't have to race so much, and it's obvious that people loved hanging out and socializing. It also gives more time to do lunchtime growth challenges.

Your thoughts?

[Adrienne]

I really like the idea of 2 hour lunch breaks. I would be open to coming in 30 minutes earlier to make up for the time.
Lunch to me always felt rushed, get there, dont get lost, woof down food, race back, and as i am sure everyone could see, there were holes everywhere and took about 30 minutes for everyone to actually come back.

However, i would not want to lose that 30 minutes without making it up somewhere.

[seeker5]

Maybe you can give us two hours for lunch, but end the session at 5:30pm instead of 5pm?

It seemed the 90 minute was short for those going to the Raw Cafe. On the other hand, the Raw Cafe does deliver so if we managed to order what we want in the morning and had plenty of menus available, then we could have them deliver the food.

So two hours would be nice but not required and like Adrienne says, I wouldn't want to mean we cut back on total time for the program.

[Savage]

As noted in the original post, we'd have the same amount of time in session, so we'd just end a half-hour later each day.

[Adrienne]

Ah, i read that, but it did not go into my brain. Yes, then a 2 hour lunch would be great Steve. Long enough to go to the raw cafe, and not feel rushed, or find a decent buffet.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

As noted in the original post, we'd have the same amount of time in session, so we'd just end a half-hour later each day.

Ah, I missed that. Then yes, I'm all for the 2 hour lunch.

[Bing Wu]

I definitely like the idea of 2-hour lunches. EVERY lunch break felt a bit rushed. I also like the idea of stretching the session out to 4 or 5 days, with slightly shorter days. Frankly, so many of us came from far away, we WANTED to stay longer and HANG OUT more. I know a few of us showed up tired or sleepy due to hanging out on the strip the night before

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Alex Wu

I definitely like the idea of 2-hour lunches. EVERY lunch break felt a bit rushed. I also like the idea of stretching the session out to 4 or 5 days, with slightly shorter days. Frankly, so many of us came from far away, we WANTED to stay longer and HANG OUT more. I know a few of us showed up tired or sleepy due to hanging out on the strip the night before

Interesting... I hadn't considered adding more days.

Btw, Alex, I got your email -- just haven't had time to reply yet. Got backlogged on email since the workshop, so give me a few more days to catch up.

[Amro]

I'm in favour of having 2 hour lunch breaks!

I gained a lot out of discussing the TLP principles and other growth related topics with the other attendees (yes, that includes our epic convo on the nature of consciousness and "acid" on sunday night ). Socializing and discovering other's challenges and unique perspectives helped me hone in on my understanding of the principles.

I also think the Spirituality section (Day 3) should be extended and to include astral/beyond physical reality "stuff"...but I suppose that would be pushing it

[ssandra]

Have not been there..

But would it be an option to have an "optional" 4th day, that Erin handles mostly with more stuff that is out there, like the previous poster mentioned? More work on intuition, meeting guides etc?

[theorique]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Did you feel that 90 minutes was too little time for lunch at CGW? I'm considering 2-hour lunch breaks for CGW #2, so we'd end a half-hour later each day, but we'd still have the same amount of time in session.

I think with a 2-hour lunch, people wouldn't have to race so much, and it's obvious that people loved hanging out and socializing. It also gives more time to do lunchtime growth challenges.

Your thoughts?

A longer lunch is definitely a good idea.

I felt like we were rushing back from lunch each day, especially when we went to large group sit-down meals such as Grand Lux Cafe or to the buffet at the Mirage. The conversations with other participants during meals were a very positive part of the overall experience, so a little more headroom during lunch would be very welcome.

-jack

[Alexandra L]

I would also favor longer lunch breaks. Just like everyone else, I thought the socializing was a huge part of the experience.

[mattyblu]

Likewise. Connecting with everyone there was an incredible experience. More time to do that would be great.

[Erin Pavlina]

We discussed me doing a pre-conference workshop day that included a lot of the intuitive stuff. It would be a great precursor to what will happen at the workshop becuase you'll be more tuned in and connected with your higher self.

[mattyblu]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

We discussed me doing a pre-conference workshop day that included a lot of the intuitive stuff. It would be a great precursor to what will happen at the workshop becuase you'll be more tuned in and connected with your higher self.

That's a great idea. I was a little disappointed we didn't get into that area in the workshop.

[Erin Pavlina]

Yeah not everyone who visits Steve's site is as into the intuitive stuff, so we weren't sure how much of that we wanted to put in. But I'm certain that a day of connecting with your higher self and maybe even a guide or two will doubly prepare a person for the Truth, Love and Power principles. And the workshop would be optional so if someone didn't attend they wouldn't miss out on anything integral to understanding the TLP stuff.

[fdr]

Back to the lunch break topic -- I think 1.5 hours is sufficient and necessary to keep the momentum of the workshop. The key to resolving the issue of it feeling "too short" is in providing enough other opportunities, officially structured or otherwise, for 100+ highly conscious people to connect with each other. There's plenty of time for that on the day before or the evenings of the workshop days. Also, offering attendees even a short list of options for nearby places to eat, or an option to put in a lunch order during the first break, would help everyone make some fast decisions and stay on schedule.

A two-hour lunch does make the day longer, which is tough on us morning people. I have pretty good focus, but I was struggling to stay with the program by about 3:00 every day. For that reason, I personally would have used a two-hour lunch to either exercise or nap, instead of hanging out with other attendees -- disconnecting me, rather than connecting me further. Now, if you wanted to start half an hour earlier in the day...!

Fiona

[stillseeking]

Hello Steve,

Thanks for asking about this detail.

I though 90 minutes was just about perfect for a lunch break. I thought 10 minutes for the other breaks was definitely too short a time. I found it very difficult to sit in the meeting room from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with only one true "break." Ten minutes is enough time to get in and out of the restroom if there is a line.

Not certain how you can resolve the time issue from a presentation perspective, but I would have appreciated at least double the break times to twenty minutes each. During that time I could have chatted with an attendee, gone to Starbuck's to buy a drink or something to eat, or gone to my room in the hotel.

Another thing that might have been helpful would have been a stand in place stretching time. I've done this at other seminars and it helps with fanny fatigue. Don't know if anyone else had this experience, but when it came time to stand up and do some of the assignments, I had fallen into lethargy and found myself resisting.

Nice of you to be conscious of the attendees in this way. Another nice thought - you could hand out a cold bottle of water to each attendee each morning. LasVegas tap water was not great and I didn't always have a bottle handy to bring along. Know you had the larger bottled water tanks and cups in the back of the room but still would have preferred my own bottle of water to take to the seat.

[Rachelle]

Originally Posted by Alex Wu

I definitely like the idea of 2-hour lunches. EVERY lunch break felt a bit rushed. I also like the idea of stretching the session out to 4 or 5 days, with slightly shorter days. Frankly, so many of us came from far away, we WANTED to stay longer and HANG OUT more. I know a few of us showed up tired or sleepy due to hanging out on the strip the night before

I definitely concur with Alex here.

I think Thursday-Sunday would be pretty cool. It would give time for a longer lunch, and more in-workshop opportunity to interact/have questions with the attendees AND offer attendees an extra night to hang out together during the workshop.

[Mabel]

Hi Steve, Erin and fellow workshoppers..

Here is my two cents (I can afford it since I have been finding pennies lately):

*Lunch breaks--you do not need to do the same thing each day. You could go 1.5 hrs on some days and 2 hrs on others. It looks like the 2hr idea is popular, but I can also really appreciate Fiona's point about keeping the flow of the workshop. People could perceiving 2 hrs as not being enough time either as they venture further away... Also, I think it is possible to plan ahead of time to order from the raw food cafe. Would a potluck on one of the days be possible?

*Workshop length and location--I think that three days is sufficient for the classroom style setting. I totally benefitted from the workshop and surely will be back in January regardless of how you decide to structure the workshop Steve, however by the end of day three, both my OCD and my ADHD were kicking in full force. What about an offsite exercise?

It would be great to be in nature--somewhere like the Red Rock Canyon or Lake Mead. Even if the weather is bad, a bunch of conscious folks like us could make it work. Or if your plan excercise that involve a lot of interaction with the public, then how about spending a morning at a shopping mall or that wonderful Wholefoods you have near the strip.

A larger role for Erin--I really like this idea! The relationship segment was wonderful as was your Star Trek story and presence Erin. I for one could use more of the "love" connection and also have things to work out around polyamoury. I spoke to a lot of people from the workshop who expressed a similar desire to delve into love and polyamoury as well.

Special Request--Announcements before the workshop..."....please make sure your cell phones are turned off and please dispose of your chewing gum"

From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Oompa-Loopas:

Gum chewing's fine when it's once in a while
It stops you from smoking and brightens your smile
But it's repulsive, revolting, and wrong
Chewing and chewing all day long

The way that a cow does

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-da
Given good manners, you will go far
You will live in happiness too
Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Thanks!

Sonya