For those of you that follow some of the most prominent personal development leaders, you may have heard the shocking news of last weeks deaths at a sweat lodge near Sedona, AZ.  The event was led by James Arthur Ray of CA.

Mr. Ray was one of the featured guests in The Secret.  He recently visited Tucson, where I live, to pitch his seminars.

I wasn’t particularly taken by Mr. Ray.  He was a bit too Hollywood for me.  Although his message was good and perhaps meaningful to the 200 hundred souls in the room there to seek a better life, I felt he was selling me the entire time he was on the stage.  I guess I didn’t see authenticity, even in his humbling story about his life.

I guess I have been to too many of the personal development forums, where the message is very powerful, but the upshot is that the presenter is really there to sell you their wares so that you too, can create the life that you have always dreamed.  I know this because I have been trained to do this myself.  It’s called marketing and closing the sale, basically.  It is just another way to create a need,  provide the solution, share the message, and create an income.   All good.

They all use it . . .the Bob Proctors, the Blair Singers, the T. Harv Eckers.  I am not criticizing, I am only writing this to see if I get anyone to comment on their opinion of this!   I have been sold over and over and most of the products are fabulous!   My life has changed as a result, and my business is designed to do the same; maybe in a more subtle manner.

Anyway,  I do have an opinion of some of the more challenging events that obviously can change lives in a way that wasn’t originally planned.

Now, back to Mr. Ray.  And to the type of activity  he was leading that resulted in this tragedy.  Getting into a sweat lodge with a large group of people — well, yes that would be getting out of my comfort zone.  But why?  Am I proving something to the collection of others or to myself?  Why would I want to sweat like that with a bunch of other people?   Maybe I had to be there to get it.

I encourage people to attend these with a level head,  lots of common sense, and care.  If the activity they are encouraging you to engage in, really takes you out of your comfort zone, listen to your intuition.  If your intuition says NO, don’t let the pressure of the others force you to feel you are less than they are because you choose not to engage.  I encourage my clients all the time to move out of their comfort zone, to do things that are uncomfortable in order to grow and move to the next level.

But let’s get real.  Let’s use some discretion here.   How does stepping into a sweat lodge going to make you a stronger leader, a smarter entrepreneur, closer to clarity about your life’s direction, a happier person?

I encourage your comments — am I missing the boat?