Cerebrate!

That’s right.- Cerebrate. It’s not a misspelling.  According to the online edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, cerebrate means “to use the mind.” So, when I was asked to join a small group of Silicon Valley “thinkers and achievers” last weekend at the Mount Madonna Center for a Cerebrate weekend, described as 2 days of  “brainstorming and bonding,” hosted by my friend (and the executive editor of my books), Rajesh Setty, I could not pass up the opportunity. 

Cerebrate was started by Kiruba Shankar, a renowned podcaster (Kiruba.TV), who likens the Cerebrate events to “TED  meets Foocamp.” According to Shankar, “the beauty of the event lies in its diversity and excellence.” And, indeed, that proved to be the case. Of the 15 of us present, participants were drawn from a fields of publishing, advertising, law, nutrition and fitness, graphic arts, entrepreneurship, technology, and the media.  Five of us were native North Americans.  Ten heralded from the Indian continent.  Unlike traditional “business conferences,” there was no audience.  In fact, there was almost no agenda.  The object was to build understanding and relationship, to share dreams, successes and failures, to explore experiences and challenges.  Each of us was given approximately a half hour to “tell our story.”  And, what extraordinary stories were told!  I particularly was struck by the many success stories told by our Indian immigrant compatriots.  We learned of a father selling his land to pay for his son’s college education, about the hurdles faced when one is born into a lower caste, about arranged marriages, about the extraordinary opportunity and pride of being a part of the United States.  I heard references to Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin offered in such tones of awe and respect that it was hard not to be humbled by others’ respect and enthusiasm for what this country has to offer. 

I also was reminded of the immigrant struggle, yet heartened by the story of one member who confided: “We have a strong Indian community in Cupertino.  Many of us knew one another in India and attended school together.  We have an unspoken agreement.  We each help one of us become successful.  And when he reaches the top, he extends his hand down to help another of us up. Then, we begin the cycle again.”

Having completed the round of “storytelling,” we each were asked to offer three subjects upon which we could offer a unique perspective to the others.  The group selected its preferred topic from the three offerings. On Saturday evening through early Sunday afternoon, we discussed such diverse topics as “how to get your book published” ;” maximizing productivity”; “making education ‘stick’”; “finding happiness”; “seeing patterns in life and business”; “strategizing brand – making the emotional connection”; “transformative listening; and “dancing the waltz.”

It was an extraordinary weekend from which many relationships were initiated.   And, because we had the opportunity to share, and share deeply, the seeds of these relationships were sown in extremely fertile ground.  I was so inspired by the event that I’ve initiated conversations with Raj on hosting another in late spring 2011, bringing together representatives from the many diverse communities of my life experience.

The particular relevance here is that we listened carefully with focused awareness to our own stories and those of one another. We did so without letting our narratives get in the way.  The outcome was relationship.

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Tim Tosta
Life Coach