26 years ago, I spent two weekends in an remarkable workshop that eventually developed into what is now known as The Forum, by Landmark Education. My main insight at the time, which has served me well throughout my adult life, is that the way I see the world, my belief-system, is only just one view, one perspective, how my mind makes order out of the universe. Everything I know to be true is just my interpretation. This insight helped crack my mind wide open, allowing me to thoughtfully entertain new ideas, adopting them for my own if they worked for me, and letting go of intellectual prejudices that no longer served me.

The second insight was that I, and only I, was responsible for my experience, happiness, and life. I could never again blame anybody else if I didn’t like the way my life was working out.

Pretty good for a 17 year old.

Landmark is still around and even more popular today than 20 years ago. I recently checked out their site and came across this gem, reminding me of what drew me to the work in the first place:

The Landmark Forum’s “seven commandments” for being an extraordinary person:

• Be Racket-Free: give up being right – even when you know you were.

• Be Powerful: be straight in your communication and take what you get.

• Be Courageous: acknowledge your fear (not necessarily get rid of it) and then act.

• Be Peaceful: give up the interpretation that there’s something wrong.

• Be Charismatic: give up trying to get somewhere. Be entirely fulfilled in the present moment.

• Be Enrolling: share your new possibilities in such a way that others are touched, moved and inspired.

• Be Unreasonable: in expectations of yourself and others beyond what you would think they are capable of.