Are We There Yet?

Wow. Just returned from an eye-popping, heart-opening, brain-enhancing, soul-piercing, possibility-propelling experience at Landmark Forum in Chicago. Someone I met at the Forum told me that a Chicago newspaper recently asked readers to share their most extraordinary real or imagined life experiences. A trip to the moon was #1. Landmark Forum was second.

I can see why. Their tagline is "Live a Life You Love" and they mean business. Barry, our leader for the weekend, never let any of us off the hook when we tried to make up excuses, reasons, stories, etc. to dodge our own personal responsibility to live a life we love. Not only was he a tough coach, he also showed up with just the right measure of George Carlin and a loveable 10th-grade math teacher who could make the most complex quadratic equation crystal clear with just a sentence or two.

In a recent Fast Company piece called The Frankenleader Fad to expose the inauthenticities of so many folks we dub "leaders," Marcus Buckingham writes that "the core characteristics of leadership are self-assurance and authenticity. The best way to achieve those qualities ... isn't by developing what you lack, but by amplifying the areas where you are most true to your best self."

And the way to be true to yourself according to Landmark? Confront your inauthenticities every chance you get and invent new possibilities from there.

By the end of my session, what became clear for me, was that as far as I believe I've come in my own life, in so many other ways, I haven't started the damn engine yet.

Driving back from Chicago to St. Paul, I saw these words appear on an empty page in my journal next to me:

Confined to our steel-belted, hemi-heavin’,
window-tinted, air-conditioned,
leather-appointed, GPS-positive,
Meaning-making machines,
We press on the gas,
Pull out to pass,
With the nerve to ask:
“Are we there yet?”

Are you kidding,
We haven’t even left yet.

And in that second,
We are free to embrace the velocity of now
With each turn of the tire at 80 miles an hour.

Tip if you go: Bring a well-padded seat cushion. Because probably like a trip to the moon, the ride gets bumpy in spots!

Tags: Landmark Leadership Management

Comments

[limosisgirl]

I'm interested in hearing more about experiences with Landmark. I was
considering taking the follow-up to the intro (the $550 3-day course)
but am somewhat hesitant to do so. I would really appreciate any
further info/stories on your experiences. Thanks!
limosisgirl@hotmail.com

[ForumSurvivor]

The Landmark Forum is a money hungry brainwashing cult.

I survived -- many never get out.

see www.rickross.com

[Hip Deep]

God, I love reading the Carrot blogs! The writer so totally inspires me to be a better me. I hope that he's writing this blog, or perhaps even better, continuing to write meaningful, beautiful, powerful stuff forever, wherever he may be!

[Hip Deep]

God, I love reading the Carrot blogs! The writer so totally inspires me to be a better me. I hope that he's writing this blog, or perhaps even better, continuing to write meaningful, beautiful, powerful stuff forever, wherever he may be!

[john nielson]

hey Lisa – thanks for your words of warning, which got me to thinking: my kids also hit me up for more of my time and more of my money every day ... and they definitely use "questionable psychological tactics" every chance they get! of course, it's up to me to draw the line with my daughters. when they know where I stand on stuff, we get along just fine. if I'm wishy-washy and indecisive, they're in my face 'til I choose.

I couldn't help draw a parallel to Landmark. to me, their premise is that I need to take more personal responsibility for the choices in my life ... whether it's telling my 13-year-old daughter that I can't drive her to the mall for the third time today or simply saying "no thanks" to the Landmark folks asking for more of my time or money.

thanks for your post ... it gave me a lot to think about!

and how about you? did you do Landmark? what do you think of it?

[Kris Mauricio]

Nielson - I am inspired! Great work! I did the Landmark Forum when I was 17 and it completely changed my life. Since discovering FISH! I have found that "Be There" my favorite principle of the FISH! Philosophy, is so much more powerful and rewarding for all involved when you are also being authentic in who you are and in your communication. The freedom to create a life that you love is a wild ride...scary, breath-taking and joyful, all at the same time. Enjoy!

[Lisa Williams]

It's great you have these insights, I just have one word of warning about their provenance. Do be careful if they ask you for money or volunteer labor; there have been reports of questionable psychological tactics associated with Landmark. Some discussion of it is available on the organization's page in Wikipedia.