One of the most important, spiritually enriching relationships I have in my life is my relationship with the Camino de Santiago. When I walk that path I feel right, present, alive, and in the company of my tribe. I felt like I was on the Camino again at Wisdom 2.0. I think part of it was being in the company of so many incredible people who have an interest in both the Wisdom tradition and technology (AND technology!) that made me feel so at home. As Jon Kabat-Zinn would say “we are all here for some non-random reason.” The kindness, openness, and non-agenda-ed generosity of spirit that I experienced was incredible. And consistent. And enveloping. It felt like an ironic extension of my Camino, right into the literal and figurative heart of Silicon Valley.

I am realizing more and more that in order to be really effective, I have to carve out / make time in my schedule to do things that nurture and stimulate my body, mind, and spirit. Steadfastly and unapologetically. Doing so bears incredible fruit on many fronts. This conference was exactly that for me. A form of nurture :)

It was also refreshing to be around a group of people that feel successful. It was a very different feeling than what I usually experience at educational conferences or gatherings: in my opinion, there is, for many many justified reasons, a general sense of downtrodden-ness that tends to permeate those events. It was revitalizing to experience something different.

Below is the salient / take-home / nitty-gritty (for me and where I’m at right now). Sorting and categorizing things the way I tend to almost seems absurd after attending a conference like Wisdom 2.0, which is all about convergence and overlap and permeation, but oh well. It helps me make sense of things - lol! :)

The Practical:
- “Right now we are hiring problem solvers. Next we are going to start hiring people that invent their own jobs.” - Padmasree Warrior from Cisco
- A person from the audience asked Padmasree: “How do you go about presenting the idea of mindfulness to traditional technology corporations. She answered “Don’t present it. Just do it.”
- When it comes to values, don’t preach them or try to convince anyone, just embody them.
- What good business people look for when they hire: Are you savvy AND bringing your true self to the table?
- Essential qualities for a productive and nurturing work place: calmness, compassion, confidence, and humility.
- Operating from a position of scarcity never leads to good stuff. You don’t have to be desperate. And when you are, you attract less-good people.
- It’s important to be able to say “no.”
- We are social beings. That means that my wellness is tied and connected to the wellness of the group. So, as a hedonist, serving others is a way of serving myself :)

The Technological:
- Public learning is important to me. I blog because I want to share what I’ve learned, even if it isn’t mind boggling.
- Slow Social Media: Quality vs. Quantity. You don’t need to put out 20 meaningless tweets a day, just 2 meaningful ones.
- You have to create a certain kind of rhythm and discipline for yourself when it comes to technology.
- With regard to email, don’t confuse recency with urgency (top of the inbox syndrome). You don’t always have to address what’s at the top and most recent. Set your own priorities.
- Technologists tend to have an inflated view of our own impact on the world.

The Spiritual:
- It’s important to be able to hold contradiction and be comfortable with ambiguity.
- You have to learn how to become friends with your own fears and limitations.
- An important shift: going from a life of achievement to a life of fulfillment.
- Meditation is more about space than time.
- If we are in judgment of any soul, we haven’t accepted that part of ourselves.
- You are most essentially yourself when you are present.
- It’s important to hold yourself accountable when you are not acting in an integral way.
- After some practice, meditation shifts from being something you do, that you can check off your to-do list, to how you show up.
- It’s important to recognize / accept that when you walk into a room, you are coming in with prejudice. Try to, as much as you can, to wipe the slate clean beforehand and just get to know people as they are.

On Creativity:
- 1) Creativity comes from a place of stillness. 2) The conceptual mind is a tool for creativity.
- Constraint drives creativity. Twitter is a great example of this.
- The more you can understand the energy patterns of really creative people, and then invest in those energy patterns, and create a culture that supports them, the more effective your organization will be.

On Teaching:
- My job is to ask the right questions, not necessarily know all the answers.
- I can plant seeds and then step away.
- Extraordinary teaching is always embodied.
- The brain changes based on the experiences we have.
- The idea of “scalable action” is important. What can you do right now, to move in the direction you want to move in?

On Design:
- “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Steve Jobs
- Simplicity is a very complex thing to achieve.
- Really great products do exactly what you want them to do, no more, no less.
- Great design = what’s left after you take out everything you can.

On Being Authentic / Finding your True Path:
- Often our true nature hides under whatever we think a good contribution should be.
- What do you love to give away?
- What do you find nurturing?
- What seeds have already been planted?
- Look at what you do in the space between your ambition and expectation.
- Our gifts may be what we’re already giving away.

Questions and Predicaments:
- As you get more successful, you are inundated with and distracted by opportunity.
- How do you navigate the expectations that come when you become successful?

Personal Observations:

- What is really engaging? When people  are honest and sharing something real vs. saying what they think they should say.
- Bring what’s easiest and what no one else can bring to the table - yourself.
- What you don’t say is just as important (maybe even more so) than what you do say.

The Generally Beautiful:
- Pablo Neruda: “You can pick all of the flowers but you can’t stop the Spring.”

Things to Think On / Paradoxes to Ponder:
- A fish overlooking the water. A room overlooking it’s space.

The Rest of My Notes:

• Wisdom 2.0: Initial Reflections

• Wisdom 2.0: Notes from day one

• Wisdom 2.0: Notes from day two

• Wisdom 2.0: Language & Code

• Wisdom 2.0: Offical Media
  

Captures: