Next Wednesday a few dozen individuals from around the world are gathering here in Austin, Texas to take a stand for their lives, for our lives and for life itself. They are those who are willing to claim the title of visionary, simply be being a conscious being with a choice to see and create a better world in the face of great adversity. They are those who are willing to look within, face what there is to face, find something worth standing for and come together to create a world that works for everyone.

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.”

Visionary musicians, who aim to inspire the world through their music seem to be attracted to our Boot Camps. The latest is a young musician, who goes by the name, Esse. She’s been awarded a Visionary Musician Scholarship in the amount of $650 by one of our alumni, Emced Hammas, CEO of 20/20 MultiMedia, and producer of a documentary inspired in part by his VisionForce experience, Business As Usual: The Exploitation of Hip Hop.

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!):

Anytime I am in a situation, where I am present that my voice could make a difference… and yet I think my voice is not welcome… my heart starts beating faster. I feel this way right now. I am not sure what form this call to action will take over the ensuing months, but I feel that VisionForce is arriving at a crossroads.

I just wrote the following to the new class of visionaries who will be attending the VisionForce Boot Camp in 2 weeks:

Watching the new film, Lions For Lambs, tonight in the theatre, it hit me. VisionForce is about being in action. This is not a new “revelation,” but a further clarification along the arduous path of learning to articulate what VisionForce offers people.

VisionForce is for those who are willing to BE in action, to LIVE as an uncompromised expression of their vision… especially at this critical time in history, at a time when we get to decide if we perish as a species due to our own choices, or if we acknowledge perhaps the greatest overlooked force for causing change… NOT political force, military force, financial power… put the force of our own individual vision… the power to walk the path less traveled, guided from within. Perhaps one of the greatest illusions of our time is the idea that the power to change the world is in the hands of Big Business, Big Government and Big Religion… and so we waste so much our time thinking, debating, complaining, watching debates, or taking well-intentioned actions that only feed the systems ruled by the big three. We donate our time, donate some money, pay our taxes, vote on election day, sign petitions, join some protests, post signs in our yard, etc. AS IF THESE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE!

We are creators! Entrepreneurship, art, music, poetry, science, technology, … we can CREATE a world that really works! We can create! In the early 21st century, there is no longer much value in the idea of “doing our part,” hoping that it will all work out OK if we do. No, to summarize Werner Erhard, it’s time we each find the visionary leader in ourselves and come together to create a world that works. Those of us, like Erhard, who dare say human beings are capable of so much more, are laughed at and criticized. In Werner, and others in the “human potential movement,” we have people who dare to fail big, because they see there is something worth standing for.

Who are we not to own our power to BE the change now? Who are we to pretend we don’t have the power to create a world that works?

VisionForce – it’s the power in YOU.

When you come to boot camp in 2 weeks… something tells me you’re going to get the next evolution of boot camp! This is a process, an evolution… I am in the SAME game you are. I do not have answers for you, and I will not even think about telling you what to do. I simply invite you further into the game you are ALREADY in as a leader, a creator–by nature. Are you ready to play?

I just returned from the theatre, after having watched Lions For Lambs… forget what the film critics say, as this was not meant to entertain the masses. It’s a clarion call to all those, and especially the young, who feel inside that they can be more, do more at this time of mounting global crises. It’s a call to all those who’ve learned, or are being conditioned, to compromise. It’s a call to all who would have their voice be heard. It’s a call to those who would live the fullest expression of human life with mind, body and spirit. It’s a call to all those, and especially Americans, who would dare to own the title “visionary,” in a day and age when the most “enlightened” of us are so afraid of looking egotistic or narcissistic. Do we dare to be the change now?

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?

Politics has long been the world of positions, where you form conclusions and judgments and lock yourself into a position. Holding such a position has long been the mark of a good leader, one who followers can look to for comfort and security. Rudy Giuliani seems to exemplify such leadership. And in times of acute crises, such military-style leadership can be quite invaluable. However, I believe we are coming to a crossroads in the style of leadership we’re looking for.

Are we looking for some great leader to save us? To provide simplistic answers and to never waiver on his/her positions. Giuliani seems to think so. Giuliani recently criticized Hillary Clinton for waffling on illegal immigration and Iraq.

“It is the whole shifting positions of Hillary Clinton, which I think has now caught up to her. Hillary Clinton has been doing this for a long time. The driver’s license answer merely displayed what has been going on with Hillary Clinton throughout this entire campaign. She cannot take a position and stick with it… And if you want to go back, you can track six different positions on Iraq and that is a very serious matter.”

Interesting. What might Giuliani’s positionary style leadership have to do with his failed marriages and his reportedly poor relationships with his children? Giuliani is quick to use the fear-insighting labels, “evil,” and “terrorists,” when speaking about U.S. foreign policies. To many people, this is comforting as Giuliani looks like a strong leader. Is this the kind of strength the world needs now?

Many, if not most, of the U.S. presidential candidates seem to want to appear strong, and when they tell us about their vision, they seem to imply that they will use their power as president, (bombs, subsidies, new regulations, etc.) to shape the country and the world to match that vision. I was watching a YouTube video of presidential candidate Ron Paul recently, and was inspired by this statement he made,

“We should have a strong president… strong enough to resist the temptation to take the power that a president shouldn’t have.”

I’ve been quite resigned about U.S. politics for a long time. One man is giving me new hope. He does not play the political games his contemporaries do. He’s not in bed with his cronies in Congress and the White House or the huge corporate & special interest groups that fund their campaigns. I heard that the ongoing joke in Congress is: Do you know why Ron Paul is so skinny? Because he doesn’t go to lunch with lobbyists.

Can someone like Ron Paul be elected in this country?

Last weekend I attended a training for individuals, who are committed to bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet as a guiding principle of our time. This video tells the fascinating story of the Pachamama Alliance, founded by Bill and Lynn Twist, author of The Soul of Money, in partnership with the Achuar people, an indigenous tribe living in the Amazon rain forests of Equador.

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.

I invite you to join me on a journey into the vision of a man who is changing the world and creating the future. Prepare to have your vision expanded!

On Tuesday, I had a conversation with visionary Michael Richards, inventor of the first soy wax, founder of Soyawax, author of Sustainable Operating Systems and founder of SEED and the SEED Conference.

Listen to the way Michael's model of conferences offers a practical, sustainable, organic approach to creating a world that works for all of us.

MP3 File