3/13/99 VS Chicago Meeting Notes

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Lisa, Don, Dave, Mike, Carole, Mary, Linda, Ross, Elizabeth, Louella and Mark, welcomed Allen, Elaine and Cindy to their first meeting. JR facilitated the open space discussion, beginning with a brief round of introductions.

Prior to open space, the group discussed the planned Your Money Or Your Life (YMOYL) Study Guide Session planned for the meeting. Mike & Linda attended a New Road Map Speakers' Bureau Board Meeting last month in Denver, and shared several insights from the meeting. Among them, was the Board's focus on increasing the effectiveness of YMOYL => what could be done to best help others engage & use YMOYL's Nine Steps? Mike asked the group if they would prefer to do the YMOYL Audio Cassette Series (the forerunner to the book & study guides) as a way of better engaging all in the Steps (instead of taking eight months as currently planned by the group, to complete the Study Guide). Mike suggested the Series could be run in either one eight-hour session, or two four-hours sessions. Much discussion followed, with the group deciding to do the Series in two, four-hour sessions, beginning at the next meeting (4/10/99 ), and concluding in May (5/8/99). The simplicity portion of the meetings can run parallel to the Series. The group would also like to reconvene the study guide sections following the Series. Mike will check arrangements with Old St. Pat's and the New Road Map Foundation, and get back to the group within the week.

JR then explained the foundations of open space discussion...

• Everyone can post topics they are interested in (gives everyone opportunity to address their needs/expectations)
• Group then arranges topics, creating a meeting agenda that is pertinent to the needs of the attendees/day
• Everyone can "sign-up" for the discussion topics they would like to attend
• Whoever shows up for a discussion, are the "right" ones to show up (be it only one person or twenty)
• Whenever the discussion starts, is the right time for it to start
• Whenever the discussion ends, is the right time for it to end
• use The Law of Two Feet (move freely from discussion to discussion as guided by your interest)
• be a Butterfly and/or Bumble Bee => feel free to float from discussion to discussion and/or to participate in each discussion (i.e., pollinate)
• we'll reconvene as a whole group, and share any observations/highlights from the discussions

The Group then began writing discussion topics (question, observation...) focused on simplicity. After "posting " their item/s on one of the meeting room's blank walls, the Group combined like topics, and arranged them into two discussions, "Time I" and "Time II". Those topics were:

Time I (10:00 to 11:00) -- Continuing Section 1of the YMOYL Group Study Guide On Money & Spirit, including topics, "Is life better when we are working in synch with our purpose in life? How do we find out what our purpose in life is?", and "Retiring earlier"

Time II (11:00 to 11:50) -- Discussion A; "Buy! Buy. Buy!" (from recent Chicago Tribune Headline, "Consumers Buy-Buy-Buy"), "Frugality and real estate" Discussion B; "Y2K & Community"

Time I - Mike continued facilitation role from February's meeting of the Your Money Or Your Life Group Study Guide for MONEY & SPIRIT, beginning on page 11 and a reading from ten bullet items on page xxx of YMOYL. Discussion followed on "Tracking Your Expenses", continuing with an exercise on page 12 of the Guide (How I normally pay for Rent/house payments...). The group then silently reflected on the five bullet items on page 13 of the Guide, and continued with group discussion of the same. Discussion followed from the three questions on page 14;

Mike concluded the Study Guide Session with review of page 15, and the reading at the bottom of the page. The group will continue with Section 2, in June.

Time II - Y2k marketing was discussed, including an observation that some "prophets of doom" were turning Y2k into the "profits of doom" (ie, selling clothing with "10101010's on them...). Investing in real estate and the stock market was discussed, including timing, contrary thinking, and the risks associated with "nest egg" capital. Don shared real life insights/lessons from the brokerage world, while Ross and Dave shared the same from real estate. Real life lessons have a cost-"tuition" as Ross put it. The earlier on in life one can take/learn them the better. Why people "buy" was discussed-what drives them? Fulfillment of a need/s, when does someone come to a point of realizing they have enough, shopping takes "time"...

With 12:00 rapidly approaching, JR closed the open space discussion and the meeting/session adjourned at 12:05.

recorded by: Mike Lenich