It's time.
The can can no longer be kicked farther down the road without painful consequence. The piper is asking for his payment, and it's a big bill. The chickens are returning to roost, and man, are they angry.
Whichever analogy you prefer, the message is the same: there’s no more time left to ignore the growing instability all around us. To remain in our comfortable cocoons of denial, deluding ourselves that "everything is fine". To plod along, living two lives, stumbling through our daily routines while knowing deep down that we should be urgently focused on an entirely difference set of priorities.
I mean, you can feel it, right? The near panic in some people. The hopelessness and resignation in others. Maybe even you find yourself experiencing these same feelings from time to time. I know I do.
Humanity is entering an era it has never lived through before: accelerating global change up the steepening portion of the exponential curve. This is the part in the story when events speed up dramatically. And actions matter -- a lot.
Can anyone do anything about this? Wait, let me be more specific: Can you do anything about this?
Yes!
It all starts with adopting new, more accurate narratives that inspire behavior better-suited for the times we're entering. The change needs to begin within you. And within me. Within each of us individually, and hopefully someday, within all of us together.
To begin this process, we need to take a few key steps here.
The first is to find each other, look ourselves in the eyes and admit the truth: Something big is happening. This coming change will unfold over years, decades likely, creating greater disruption to our current ‘way of life’ the more time goes on. Being in connection with like-minded folks who realize that, plan for it, and focus on building a sustainable future will be a key success factor.
So this is a call to ‘our tribe’ – the people who can both stare our harsh reality squarely in the face and yet move ahead with positivity. Those who cannot go on, and yet will go on. We’re unusual in that respect, and the world needs us more than ever.
Now is the time for us to gather together: forming bonds, assembling the tribe, aligning our intentions, sharing insights, and offering our support to one another. It's amazing how nourishing it feels to be in the company of kindred minds, especially when most of us routinely feel alone and isolated regarding our concerns for the future. The goodwill and supportive energy we get from connecting with our 'tribe' make a huge positive difference in helping us take constructive steps in our own lives, as well as being in service those who live around us.
The second step we need to take is to continue working on deepening our own personal resilience. If you've read our book Prosper!, you know that the framework we use for measuring resilience has 8 Forms of Capital, each of which is important to develop fully. Some involve money, but most do not. A few cannot be bought at any price, they must be developed by other means. Adam, my wife Becca and I can (and often do) attest that this framework has made our own lives richer, more fulfilling, enjoyable and happier. And it will do the same for you.
The final step begins with changing our story. Society's current driving narratives is that it needs exponential economic growth, despite existing on a finite planet. Well, any of us who took 3rd-grade math knows that plan will end badly. Growth for its own sake eventually becomes anti-life. It’s the same ideology as cancer.
If we care on any level about the human experiment on this planet, or even just our own welfare and that of our progeny, not only can we do better than that, we must do better than that.
So Join Us In April!
It’s time to begin signing up for our intimate annual seminar in pastoral Rowe, Massachusetts. This year, it runs from Thursday April 6 through Sunday April 9.
If you haven't attended before, it's our most unique event of the year because it offers you a chance to disconnect from the outer world and connect very deeply with your hosts -- me, my wife Becca, and Adam -- and, just as importantly, with each other.
Sure we’ve got amazing content and a well-oiled seminar that gets rave reviews. But the real magic simply happens because you all show up and begin cross-pollinating with one another. It's unlike any other weekend experience I've ever been to (and I get invited to a lot).
My favorite part will be meeting you, learning what your personal situation is, and what progress you hope to make in your life. It always is.
And for those of you who have come before, especially our regular returners, this year is going to be one for the record books, I can already tell. 2017 has all the hallmarks of a blow-off start that you expect to see before the wheels come off.
It’s Time
Nobody knows when our nested set of global financial bubbles will finally burst. But when they do, it will be terrifying for many. The losses will be staggering.
But more important than money, the earth’s ecosystems are showing signs of extreme distress. And we’re in the final stages before a serious energy crisis dismantles our current ‘way of life.’
So it’s time to find a new way of life. One better suited and less vulnerable to these coming disruptions. We need to do this now, because the time and resources still exist to do this now. If we delay until crisis arrives, our options will be vastly more limited.
It’s simply time.
Our Request
If at all possible, everybody attending this seminar should have already watch The Crash Course (at least the Accelerated version) and have read Prosper!. We ask this so that we don’t have to spend time covering fundamental basics that have already been laboriously presented to the Peak Prosperity audience.
We also ask that you give advance thought to the biggest insights you hope to gain from the weekend, as well as your top priorities for improving your personal resilience. Filling out our self-assessment will be a helpful resource in doing that.
Just come prepared. That's our ‘ask.’
We hope to see you there.
Best,
Chris
Feedback From Past Rowe Attendees
Here's a write-up from a former Peak Prosperity staff member, after she attended Rowe:
A First-Hand Account of The Peak Prosperity Seminar
Have you ever wondered what happens at one of our Peak Prosperity weekend seminars? Every year, Chris and the Peak Prosperity team host two weekend-long retreats to explore topics related to the Crash Course, up close and personal. So what are these retreats like?
It takes an exceptional group of people to come together to discuss these kinds of topics. The people at this seminar were diverse and impressive, and this is typical at our seminars. I was humbled by the courage of several conference attendees who were at the very beginning of their journeys. Some were what we lovingly call “reluctant spouses,” and some were folks who simply heard of the conference and felt called to attend, having never even encountered our website or any of our other material. Some were seasoned members of our online community, with a few who were recognized almost as celebrities as the result of their many written posts on the site. Some were very young – like the precocious 12-year-old who came all the way from Mexico with his dad and promised us he’d use what he learned to make a difference in the world. There was an energetic young couple on the brink of post-college life. There were middle-aged parents wanting to help ensure a good world for their kids to grow into, and folks who were approaching or already in retirement and concerned about their remaining years. There were even some people there who had attended a previous conference and came back again with family members, neighbors, or friends.
Naturally, I was impressed by those who been “prepping” for years in various ways, or who are longtime activists in their communities, or who have turned their professional focus over to supporting sustainable living for others. Several attendees shared impressive stories of the ways in which they have helped to significantly increase the resilience of their communities. But I was equally impressed by those who arrived on Friday night knowing only that they yearned to make a change in their lives, not yet sure what their first step might be. By Sunday afternoon, I am quite sure those folks had a plan of action and a sense of relief in knowing that they truly are not alone on this journey.
Read her full recap here
But don't just take our word for it. Here are comments from past seminar attendees:
"I was deeply impressed with Chris, Becca, and Adam during this weekend. They have obviously put a lot of thought into the curriculum and done their own work. The exercises had an organic feel of having been worked from the inside out by them before being shared with us.
"The sense of openness, transparency in the workshop participants was immediate and, I believe, was catalyzed by the clear minds of Chris and Becca who come from a place of love not fear. I came away with a clear action plan and a deeper sense of peace in a world with imminent change upon us." - Debra
"The opportunity to meet Chris, Becca, and Adam face to face was invaluable. An unexpected result of our time together was the opportunity to meet with other concerned individuals and share ideas. Moving forward from the workshop I felt empowered with the knowledge that I don't have to do this alone. There is a growing community here, and we are poised to guide each other into a truly prosperous future." - Nan
"This was my second Rowe conference with Chris and Becca. In addition, having a reluctant spouse and being surrounded by generally closed minded family and community, being among an enlightened and enthusiastic group provided me with a huge morale boost to keep me moving in the right direction." - Daniel
"Chris and Becca's seminar was a thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting experience. One might imagine a lot of negativity at an event on this topic, and we did discuss each other's fears and concerns, but I left feeling a great deal better about the future. Before the seminar I felt like I had no one I could talk to about our predicament, but that isolation just melted away as we formed our own little community at the seminar." - Jamie
"Attending the Crash Course seminar was life-changing for me.I highly recommend attending the Crash Course or related seminars to anyone who is interested in learning about the changes that are currently unfolding around the world, and how to adapt to them (even and especially those who think they already have all the information they need about this)." - Heather
"This is an engaging, down-to-earth, and practical program. As late as it seems, we are all still "early adopters" in preparing for a very different future. That means most of our families and friends don't understand what we see coming, and it's great to be in a group of intelligent people who "get it." It's also a treat to hear Becca's story of having to help process things as a spouse, and to see how they work as a couple in the art of sharing a difficult message with the world. The delivery is as important as the content. Bravo!" - Doug
"As to the Crash Course presentation recently delivered at Rowe, let me say I have been referring to it as perhaps the best workshop that I have ever attended. I really found the whole experience fantastic." - Mark
