035: To Be, Or Not to Be...

15 Sep 2023 — 8 min read

Hola Amigos,

Hope your summers are going beautifully. These last few weeks, as I've been diving inwards the topic of fleeing ourselves came up for me after a reflection from Stoic philosopher, Seneca. It was so hard for me to just Be, with myself. There was so many "should's." I should be traveling in Europe, I should be connecting to relevant people and places, i should be having meditating and excercising a ton if I'm not doing the above.... Of course, it’s lovely to travel and see incredible places, even for a long weekend, but Seneca tells us to be careful. We hop from place to place, destination to destination, constantly excited for the next one. This was a potent reminder for me, and something I found occurring in my present moment.

“Thus each man flees himself,” then elaborates, “But to what end if he does not escape himself? He pursues and dogs himself as his own most tedious companion. And so we must realize that our difficulty is not the fault of the places but of ourselves.” So be wary of this desire to constantly move and do, what about Being? As the Stoics would say, "you will not find what you think you are looking for—happiness, joy, serenity, peace, fulfillment—in externals. Or in any external location at all. You can only find it internally. Because you can’t flee yourself. You have to build a life, a self, you don’t want to escape from."

So on that note, here's to not fleeing ourselves, and designing a life that we need not escape from. Here's to growing comfortable in being with ourselves, and not doing so much all the time. I tell you the hardest thing I've done spiritually and physically is floor-time (as we call it in LeapForward.us). Literally go lay on the floor for an hour plus and tell me how it goes. See if you can be with yourself for that long. What happens? I'm curious (click reply and tell me)!

Alright lets get into some adventures of the week and lessons that emerged from the field - we got a bunch of new projects, people, and places to check out, so that you can be comfy just Being, wherever you are, and enjoy some of these travels with me.

1. New Models for a New Earth - Lessons from the Field

I see a lot of my colleagues looking to build projects for a "new earth or a new paradigm," with little understanding of the mindset of those looking to fund these projects. They're often trying to make financial models with high ROI and unrealistic results and timing, when the people they are talking to want to make an impact, are patient capital, and mostly want to preserving their capital in a crazy market while having a dent in the world. If they wanted to make a killing financially, they'd stay on wall street or silicon valley. They're coming to countries like Costa Rica because they are shifting inside, and their priorities are shifting. Are yours? So if want to build a new earth, or aid the current one, we need the new financial models and integrated cooperation structures to match it. Yes, we need to get along and do projects together too not just build isolated communities with huge walls - otherwise we are still going alone albeit playing "community". We can't build new systems with the same GP/LP structures - 2 & 20 stuff from our past, we need to build from the heart with true alignment all while keeping one foot in reality and what works. I constantly bring people down to reality, when they show me their models and strategies because they are often tethered to a system that is crumbling, in effort to do things professionally. How about DAFs, 501C3's, and the slew of other vehicles available? How about thinking long and hard before you take on some one else's capital to build your dream (for humanity)?

A design workshop in the Diamante Valley

2. Lessons from the field...

A) It will take longer than you think - timelines of 1-3 years for a project can take 3-5. A community or retreat center thats supposed to stabilize in 2 years can take 4. Construction, can and will take longer. All of it, is a process that will unfold as it does, if you are stressed on timeline to pay back investors, something is off from the get go. Time is an elusive friend when building a project - burn out can kick in, investors get fatigued etc.

Initial Site Visit and Masterplanning at KA in the Diamante Valley

B) It will likely cost more than you think... I don't care what you are building, talk to any professional and they will tell you the same. Add a 20% buffer to the costs you already have with your 10% buffer. Don't ever create a situation of stress around money, as so many projects carry "money shmutz" because of aggressive decisions made on day 1. Also watch who you "partner" with - often mistake numero uno is people rushing to partner.

C) You need professionals - from advisors, to builders and operators. Often times a project will succeed in creating culture, programing, filling the place with amazing humans but... They don't know how to operate - be it a retreat, rental home, hotel and even a community. Bring on some experts and don't make the costly mistakes so many do to save a few bucks. Go Slow, Go Smart.

I get to see these lessons all the time from some of the leading projects in Costa Rica and around the world, that look "successful" to outsiders, when in fact internally they are a minefield. People pushing beyond their capacity in order to regenerate the planet. Heed these lessons, regenerate yourself, don't take on more than you have gas for, even if you feel spirit is guiding you (often our antennas can be a bit off :)

3. Designs that caught my eye this week!

Some from travels, some from the webs...

Okay lets let AI have a turn...

Catch past webinars and workshops on Zaydeltube.

This Week's Curiosities

First Curiosity: Peter Crone on our Search for Happiness

In a recent Broken Brain Podcast, host Dhru Purohit, talks to Peter Crone, The Mindset Architect, "a writer, speaker and thought leader in human potential who works with entertainers, professional athletes, and global organizations." Crone lays out a path to true Freedom through awareness. Freedom is our true nature, our essence and birthright as Crone shares, and he's dedicated to helping people reclaim that. A lot of our suffering is worrying about the future, where as true freedom is being with what is, here and now. True happiness, Crone says, "is the absence of the search for happiness." This is real acceptance, where there is no fighting life, no resistance, and the result is a state of peace and acceptance, that Crone goes onto describe in detail. See the full podcast on Broken Brain via this LINK.

Second Curiosity: The Colors of God's Canvas are Epic

For those who know me, they know I love gardening, because you get to literally create the most amazing visual field for your daily life as possible. The colors I see when the morning sun hits, bring a smile to my face on even the gloomiest of days.... I took these shots on a recent trip to Mt. Chirripo at the Secret Garden.

Third Curiosity: Weekly love from a man's best friend.

Maya is always in tow on all adventures - even makes new friends.

Who We Are Celebrating This Week: Diana Dokos

This week I'm celebrating a new friend and client, Diana Dokos. What a force of good in the world and an amazing privilege to support her in bringing her dreams to fruition. As founder of the Bodhi Bridge and a Master Teacher, she's dedicated her life to helping others evolve and grow into their potential. Now its an honor to be in service to her and co-create some magic!

"Empowering people to be Conscious Creators actualizing the greater Possibilities of their lives, livelihoods, and communities … consciously, creatively & in flow." - Diana Dokos