I just interviewed him and his friend/colleague Medi, who aims to join Clovis here in Austin for Prosperity For All 2008. Please chipin even a small amount to make Clovis’ voyage here possible!

Watch for more details about this adventure at the Prosperity For All 2008 blog.

One visionary, Nancy Polend, has taken a stand for prosperity for all in our lifetime.

VisionForce is standing with her, and calling to the world to find 50 visionaries willing to stand with her.

Read more at Prosperity For All 2008.

Often times we, as visionary activists, can become so enraged by what people are doing to the things, people or causes we care about that we start fighting against the powers that be, rather than standing for the world we envision and inviting others to stand with us. Our iStand Experience is an intensive training in how to think, speak and take action in ways that can inspire even your greatest adversaries to let down their walls and stand with you.

Our next iStand Experience is this June 10-15, 2008 in Austin, TX, where 50 visionaries from around the globe will unite to face everything, avoid nothing and stand for PROSPERITY FOR ALL IN OUR LIFETIME! If you feel called by this and you are a visionary activist, look for applications here next week.

Jeff is a connector, and someone who keeps his eye on emerging trends and new developments in the realm of creating a world that works for all of us.

By the way, as you’ll read in the article, Clovis is coming from Uganda to Austin for the upcoming June iStand Experience!

We are at the dawn of a new era, in which human beings own our full power to create. It begins by stepping into a sacred relationship with self, others and all that is.

The work we do at the VisionForce Boot Camp is quite simple, yet very profound, and it has great implications for the world we live in.

The next domain of technology that will transform the world we live in is the inner domain of human relationship–relationship to self, others, the planet, the universe, the divine, etc. For nearly five decades we’ve been flying into outer space and landing upon the moon, but we seem to find it more challenging to traverse the inner space required in landing within the sacred realm of another’s heart, let alone our own. This is the next frontier. It’s an invitation to all those who dare to explore and pioneer new paths for connecting with others, even and especially those seemingly opposed to us, and creating together.

Already, there is a growing movement around the world, as noted by Paul Hawken in his book, Blessed Unrest, of organizations that are rising up to cross divides, stand together and create a better world.

One such organization is the Pachamama Alliance, which we are honoring at our March Boot Camp, in calling out specifically for 44 inspired leaders who are willing to stand with us to “bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on the planet.”

Today, I honor those who are journeying here next week to “face everything, avoid nothing and stand for humanity.”

I’m including a special note from her here, because she has so inspired me with her heart, her courage and commitment.

I’m inviting you today to stand beside me, as my ally, as I stand for being a powerful symbol of love, inspiration, wisdom and self-empowerment for our children, our country and our world, through the mighty vehicle of pop culture.

The hardest part of pursuing the glamorous career of a performer is balancing self consciousness with selflessness, or better put, balancing give and take. It may sound strange at first but if you think about it, a performer has to consider things that can feel like pure vanity. How do I look? Am I “cool” enough? Are my songs powerful while also being entertaining? I’ve received criticisms for the most personal details such as my weight, my clothes, my friends, my education, my childhood, my life. On the one hand I just want to sing, perform, spread light and love. On the other hand, I have to have enough self love to remain confident, open and flexible even in the face of rejection and sometimes harsh criticism. No matter how I feel, the show must go on!

A few years ago I was a top 100 finalist on American Idol. It was Season 3. I was right there with Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia and the rest of the bunch. My readiness faced the test right then and there. I’ve been doing this my whole life, I thought, I was born to do this, it should be a cinch! As much as I’d love to say that it was Paula, Simon and Randy that made it so hard to be open when I got in front of those cameras, I know better.

Even when my intentions were checked and double checked, in my heart I harbored fears. I wasn’t ready. How could it be? I’d always known this was my purpose, my destiny, so why wasn’t I ready?

I wasn’t taking a stand.

I was taking positions on lots of things, pouring my feelings into the work but something was missing. What was it?!

It was vision.

In my heart I feared all sorts of things. I feared that I would absorb all of the attention, that my sincerity might diminish, that I could lose my way, divert my mission, and the whole thing would go straight to hell!! I feared that I would hurt or be hurt by people. Consequently, I suffered with an eating disorder for SIX years! To make things harder, in the artist community there is a THICK resistance to success. Working for money is considered insincere. Shaping your work to make it more acceptable to a wider audience is looked upon as “selling out.” For years I’ve asked myself, am I a sell out? Why do I want to be a mainstream artist instead of being content as a grassroots, street level indie artist?

Then, against the will of my entire family, I went to Tokyo, Japan. For over a year my only responsibility was to teach English and perform in clubs and bars. I lived in a bubble and worked hard to get clear on who I was, who I was becoming, and the woman I wanted to be. Suddenly, something which was once vague became crystal clear.

This is not about me. This is about a life purpose, a calling, a vision.

Now I am ready, not to fight, but to take a stand. I am ready to declare my own greatness, free of fear. I know I’m ready because doors are already opening, and opening wide! I’ve begun a whole new phase with my family, my friends and my work. This is why I want to attend the VisionForce bootcamp. This new phase has begun and I want it to kick off right!

This is my declaration, my commitment to you and to a whole new world:

I dare to spearhead a new conscious pop culture that stands for self-awareness, self-empowerment, peace and embracing a rich and full life.

I dare to stand for being a guiding light for all women and young girls in America.

I dare to stand for being a fully actualized woman.

I dare to stand for being a conscious and successful artist committed to you, our children, our world.

I dare to stand for being a symbol for women in America to embrace their full capacity, release their oppression mind-set, and be graceful leaders in that way that only women can do.

I will do this first by living it.

Artists have the capacity to reach an extraordinarily wide and diverse audience. I can help you inspire the world.

In the past ten years of pursuing this mission there have been incredible challenges. Yes, sexual harassment. Yes, rejection for my beliefs. Yes, it was all enough to make me doubt myself.

Now, I know to expect these challenges every step of the way. In VisionForce I believe I have found the right support group and the skills to know how to keep going! If you believe in the VisionForce training then you know it will do for me what it has done for you.

Will you stand beside me as my partner and ally? Will you let me stand beside you, as yours?

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read my letter. Whatever you decide, I will trust that it is best. If you do choose to make a contribution, whatever amount you choose will be perfect. As a token of my thanks, when that first album is done, I will publicly honor you as a contributor to my life and to my work. Now and in the future I’m sure that we will find exciting ways to work together to make this world healthier and happier!

We’re in it together till we reach the summit, and thereafter to dance on the sky!

I wish you great success in everything that you do.

Standing with you and for you!

Esse
Singer, Songwriter & Author

To help make Esse’s journey to Boot Camp possible, please use the ChipIn tool below (any amount at all is very appreciated!):

The film left me questioning my choice to be so “practical” for the last five years, building VisionForce as a business. Funny, my business advisers would say I’ve been anything but practical, and that I’ve been far too idealistic. It seems that either path might have been much more effective than the middle road. Had I gone for profit, and built the business to be much more financially successful, we might have the muscle to reach many more people now. Had I been in revolutionary action mode at the expense of the finances, we might have already reached so many more people.

So, what, I wonder, does it look like for me to STAND FORWARD and be the change at the next level? And what does it look like for you?

The training I attended was for those who are eager to facilitate Awaken The Dreamer, Changing The Dream symposiums, which invite people of all backgrounds to inquire into a conversation about the crises and opportunities of our time. It’s an invitation to stand for the sustainability of life itself by calling upon and honoring both the brilliance of the modern world and the ancient wisdom of indigenous peoples.

These symposiums are about 4 hours long and worthy of anyone committed to creating a better world.

An excerpt:

Bent over by osteoporosis, 85-year-old Promita Das meticulously and slowly sweeps the floor just outside her door and then carefully cleans her dishes. “I came here when I couldn’t work anymore. I used to clean houses,” she says. “Nobody looked after me, nobody loved me. I survived on my own.” She married at 12 and was widowed at 15. Seventy years later, she finds herself at Amar Bari. “I used to live in front of a temple, but then I came here,” she says. She carries with her not only the pain of a life without love, but also the loss of her only child. She gave birth at 14; her baby lived a year.

Another visionary woman, Deepa Mehta has taken a bold stand to draw attention to this issue with her incredibly inspiring movie, Water. Films such as this one are recommended preparation material for our 5-day VisionForce intensive, the iStand Experience (also, VisionForce Boot Camp). The world is in need of visionaries–people who can stand for a better world in a way that calls even their adversaries to stand with them. That’s why VisionForce exists.