For the past three years, I have had the opportunity to be a part of The Markson Connection. A Tribe of about 60 or so chiropractors and coordinators, we come together three times a year for what we consider our Tribal Gatherings: Best Practice Ever, My Authentic Self, and Service to Humanity.
Our event this past weekend was set to be our Service to Humanity gathering, which has typically been my favorite. We have traveled to the Dominican Republic for ChiroMission and built houses for Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. One would think that finding a service organization that would welcome such a strong and able individuals, willing to give of their time and efforts, would be an easy task. This wasn’t the case. I, amongst others in the group, sought out to find a volunteer opportunity and was met time after time with a, “Thanks, but no thanks. We just want donations.” Instead of wasting valuable planning time, the leaders in our group combined minds and renamed this third event as our Abundance and Prosperity Expressions.
Admittedly, I had reservations. Although I strive to live a life of financial abundance, the thought of spending the weekend talking about money and financial planning was not exactly how I wanted to replace my beloved chance to serve mankind. I couldn’t have been more wrong! The theme of the weekend was about creating abundance in our lives and very little of what we spoke of had to do with financial matters.
Our weekend in Washington, DC, began with a night of Tribal Gathering with a dinner and opening ceremony led by our Tribal Father, Larry Markson. As he went through some of the names of our “family members” and pointed out personal and professional accomplishments, I was brought to tears. These tears were not of sadness or of personal pride for the recognition given to me, but tears of humble gratitude for The Universe bringing me into such an amazing group of individuals.
Some of the highlights of the weekend include the following: Guy Riekeman translated abundance as happiness and love through his emotionally moving message that ended with the Lasting Purpose of Life University and was inspiring to all of us as we were reminded to “Give, love, and serve out of a sense of abundance.” Larry Markson gave an electric dissertation on Charisma and The 10 Great Powers of Personality.
Amy Herman, an amazingly talented woman took us to the Smithsonian Art Museum and trained on us “The Art of Perception” (the poser of accurate observation). Brett Axelrod helped us further hone our skills in the art of affirmations and visualizations by teaming us up to produce powerful Mind Movies (Computerized Video-Affirmations, complete with titles and music). Finance and Business Productivity Coach Garrett Gunderson shared valuable tidbits on “How to Have a Life of Abundance and Prosperity. “ This was followed by our version of TED talks and we had the pleasure of getting to hear six of our own Tribe members share their gems of Abundance.
The camaraderie in the evening after dinners and between sessions is what I would have to say is my favorite part of each Expressions. The laughter, tears, encouragement, and masterminding that happens during free time is priceless. The best way I can describe the feeling is that of a reunion where one just sits and soaks in all of the abundant love and mutual respect.
The final session and ceremony by Rick Markson was indeed the highlight of the weekend. The memorable closing ceremony lifted us up, made us accountable, reminded us to dream, and allowed us to go home with a renewed and refreshed sense of self while still feeling that we are part of a greater good.
Reflecting on a weekend spent filled with Prosperity and Abundance I feel a rush of love and hope for all. I desire for everyone to have fulfillment in their lives like The Tribe members and I have. My wish is not only for those connected to me but also for those not close, and even for those who may not be considered friends. As Larry has always taught me….abundance comes THROUGH you, not TO you. So I will continue to wish for abundance for my family, friends, and even my enemies, knowing that it will always come back around.