I apologize for the delay in posting the review. I originally had planned do a recap after each day (it was a three day conference), however after finding out the hotel charges 15 dollars a day for internet, I decided against it. This worked out well because the conference was packed with information so waiting has given me a week or so to completely digest the experience.
Why did I attend?
I’ve received a few email’s asking why I decided to attend. I’ve been a big fan of Steve’s blog for a while now, reading him on and off for the past 2 years. I found his website soon after the death of my friend and it gave me plenty to contemplate while helping me cope with my loss. I also resonated with his idea of oneness and how we are really all one. His article The Meaning of Life really got me thinking. Because I’ve liked much of what he writes about I decided I’d make the trip to Vegas to hear his principles in person. I had originally planned to attend the first CGW but I unfortunately would then miss a bunch of class. Lucky for me, the second workshop was scheduled just a few days before I had to go back to school, so I figured it was meant to be. 
Before The Conference:
The conference began on Friday morning but I flew into Vegas Thursday night. My cousin who lives in San Francisco decided to come to Vegas to hang out with me for the weekend which turned out to be a lot of fun. Although she didn’t go to the conference, we explored some Vegas shows together at night ( I loved the Lion King). When I arrived Thursday night I spent some time just walking up and down the strip taking in the scenes of Vegas. I also stopped in on the meet up at a local cafe which I found to be very cool. The energy of everyone was extremely upbeat. It was also nice to meet several of the attendee’s who I had already spoken to via Twitter of Facebook.
Day 1
Going in to Day 1 I was somewhat nervous. Out of the 100 or so attende’s I was one of the youngest ( There was also another attendee who was also 18 but for the most part everyone was in their late 20’s or early 30’s.) It was definitely interesting to see the wide range of people who attended. To name a few groups, there were raw foodists, entrepreneurs, and people interested in physic development. There was also plenty of diversity in terms of spiritual beliefs of the group which I found to be refreshing and thought provoking.
During Day 1 Steve gave an in-depth overview of the 7 principles in his book. For anyone who has ever read the books these principles should be fairly familiar. For those have not yet read the book I’ll give a brief summary of the principles.
Love: Love extends further than just being an emotion. Having love in your life means being able to connect and communicate effectively as well as being open to making new and lasting relationships. Those who lack love surround themselves with people who bring them down rather than help them be the person they know they are meant to be. If you are in alignment with love your social circle is a source of energy rather than a place
Truth: Truth is being willing to admit and accept your current situation as is. Are you happy with your job? Your relationship? Truth means accepting your reality even if you’re not happy with it. The idea behind truth is you can’t move on unless you’re willing to accept what is. Turning your back on truth means inviting false hood and denial. You have to be able to recognize where you really are before you can get to where you want to be.
Power: Do you have the ability to create the reality you desire? Power means being able to consciously and deliberately create the world around you. Are you living the life you want? Or do you allow your relationships and circumstances dicate how you live? Power involves courage and taking action to bring you closer to your goals.
As shown in the photo, the three principles also go on to create other sub principles. They are courage, authority, and oneness.
Courage: Courage is created from combining the principles of Love and Power. Simply put, courage is taking risks. Courage is about facing your fears head on rather than running from them.
Authority: Authority is created from combining Power and Truth. Authority is the perfect combination of action and knowledge. Too much action with out knowledge will only lead you in circles, whereas too much knowledge without action is only setting yourself up for routine failure.
Oneness: Oneness is the result of both Truth and Love. The idea of oneness states that we are only part of an entire whole. Oneness means contributing to humanity rather than simply living from a moocher mindset. The idea of oneness states that the more you help others the more help you receive in return.
All 6 of the principles add up to create the 7th principle Intelligence. Are you living an intelligent life? Assuming your daily life is congruent with truth, love, and power it’s safe to say you’re living an intelligent life.
Overall I found Day 1 to be very helpful. While I didn’t learn anything new per se it was nice hearing Steve talk about his principles in person. I also found the various exercises we did throughout the day to be very valuable, especially the exercises that required us to step out of our comfort zone ( dancing on stage during break for example.)
Day 2 and Day 3
While day 1 was an overview of the principles Day’s 2 and 3 took a more in depth look at the principles and how they apply to our everyday lives. On day 2 we talked about career and finances as well as habits and during day 3 we covered relationships, skill building, and health. Going into each of these areas in depth was extremely helpful for it gave one a more complete picture of how the principles relate to our lives. During each section Steve gave us time to contemplate where we currently stood in each area and allowed for us to write down ways for us to improve. Doing this greatly enhanced my clarity in terms of where I was and where I wanted to be.
Throughout the workshop Steve used the analogy of Planet A and Planet B. Planet A is where you are right now, and planet B is where you want to be. In order to reach planet B you must first accept that you are actually on Planet A, doing so requires Truth. Also to get from Planet A to Planet B you must surrond yourself with people who will help love and nurture you thus the principle of Love. When you surrond yourself with people who inspire you it allows for you to give more back to humanity. Being stuck on your planet A isn’t going to do anyone any good. Getting from Planet A to Planet B also requires power. Can you take action to where you will reach where you want to go? Will you show courage and take risks? I found the Planet A and Planet B analogy to be very beneficial in terms of getting clear on where I want to be.
Social Connections
By far the greatest aspect of the conference was the networking I was able to do. The energy of the group was just amazing. I grew a tremendous amount by just going around the room and introducing myself. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intimidated at first, but as the workshop went on I found myself more and more comfortable. The group was incredibly accepting and supportive as was shown when individuals shared their hearts on the stage. I was amazed at the amount of hugs given out.
Out of the 100 or so attendee’s I expect to stay in good contact with at least a quarter of the group. I throughly enjoyed meeting everyone and hearing their own story. During the conference I also had several people come up to me to tell me that they read my blog, which just amazed me. While I love receiving emails from my readers it was neat to just connect with a few of my readers in person. I even had one person compliment me on the work I did on Reality Switch (an e-book I coauthored with Glen Allsop.) I’d like to say that was the highlight of my trip. 
Having the opportunity to meet so many remarkable people reminded me how amazing relationships can be. Far too often we under estimate how important our relationships really are. I even recived several hugs from KB and Crystal Silver.
Transformations
Unlike some of the other attendees, I didn’t have any major breakthroughs during the conference, however the workshop did give me a little kick in the rear to get going. Heading into the workshop I had a reasonable idea of where I wanted to go with my life so my attending simply reaffirmed what I already knew.There are a few things that I know I need to work on especially in the area of relationships and health but nothing substantial. Being around so many amazing people definitely raised my energy levels so for that I’m extremely grateful. It’s still far to early for me to say any of any long term impact of attending the conference but I’m definitely glad I went. The workshop did make me realize how important it is to surrond yourself with people who are going to help you reach your goals and give more back to humanity.
Las Vegas
This was my first time in Vegas and I can definitely see myself going back, but probably not until I turn 21. I’m a big fan of blackjack so I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to play (being that I’m 18.) Although I was able to sneak in a few dollars on the slots.
While there I stayed at the MGM Grand one of the few hotels that allows 18 year olds to check in. They hotel was on the opposite side of the Flamingo so each morning I had a bit of a walk which I didn’t mind one bit. I really enjoyed the walks up and down strip as I spent most of the time people watching.
While in Vegas I also went to see the Lion King with my cousin which was an absolutely AMAZING show. If you ever make it out to Vegas I highly recommend seeing it. The food in Vegas was a bit step but everything else was top notch.
My stay in Vegas was a good one (Coming home from the airport not so much.)
Overview: Should You Attend?
For 500 dollars (as well as airfare and hotel) the trip to Vegas can be a bit costly, however I found the experience to be well worth the price. The opportunity to meet so many amazing people as well as meet Steve in person is just too good to pass up. The conference was surprisingly non controversial unlike many of Steve’s blog posts. Not once did I feel as if I was being pressured into a certain belief system. If you got anything out of his book I’m almost certain you would benefit from attending to the workshop. If you have any more specific questions feel free to throw me an email.
Final Verdict: It can’t get much better than spending an entire weekend with loads of people who love personal growth.
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