Coming Down from Yet Another Rocky Mountain High

My Favourite Week of the Year

I’m starting this post at the Denver Airport on the Friday of another fulfilling week of connection with colleagues, including many who’ve become dear friends.

Regular readers will recognize that I’m referring to the annual Rendez-Vous of the Purposeful Planning Institute, which I’ve attended every summer in Colorado since my first time in 2014.

A Rocky Mountain High is the best way I can describe what I’m feeling in my heart and in my bones after four days of being with old friends and making new ones.

I enjoy most conferences I attend every year, but there’s nothing like the PPI crowd to warm my heart and refill my pitcher.

Section 01

Pouring Out for 51 Weeks a Year

Working in a niche of enterprising and wealthy families is really cool, but since I’m not an accountant, banker, or lawyer, the work I do isn’t easily explained.

So many of the other members of PPI are in the same boat, also working the “qualitative capitals” side of the street.

Because this work is so rarely understood by most of the people we interact with, we all spend an inordinate amount of time trying to explain what we do.

It can be exhausting, constantly pouring out such explanations.

Then we arrive in Colorado for a week of “adult summer camp”, as some have described Rendez-Vous, with our pitchers empty.

A few days later, they’re all invariably overflowing again.

Section 02

Like-Minded and Like-Called Fellow Pilgrims

Last year in Soaking in the Rendez-Vous Experience, Again, I mentioned that those who attend are mostly “like-minded and like-called”.

And this week in the closing panel/keynote, we heard from the venerable James E. (Jay) Hughes Jr., who referred to us all as fellow pilgrims.

I asked my good friend, Mr. Google, for his insights into the term “pilgrim” to see what I could learn from his vast wisdom.

Of his many responses, here’s my favourite:

Section 03

My Thoughts on this Pilgrimage

Let’s dissect that description a bit for its applicability to the situation that my fellow Rendez-Vous devotees and I are in.

It does feel like a journey, and a long one. There are no quick fixes or short-cuts.

The place we’re all going does seem sacred, although it isn’t really a destination. In fact, it’s not even really our “destination” either, but more of a desire to bring our client families to a better place.

There’s also a lot of devotion involved because many have become discouraged and abandoned the journey over the years.

The word “religious” doesn’t apply for me, but I do know some for whom it’s apt.

Section 04

Over-Functioning in Service of Others

In past years my post Rendez-Vous blogs have shared details on some of the content, but not this year.

You need to experience it to understand, and you can always come next year if you’re intrigued, but we sold out this year and had a waiting list, so don’t sleep on it too long.

I want to share my personal lived perspective.

I set an intention to be service-minded, and, as a long-time member, attendee, and pilgrim, to do everything I could to make first-time attendees and other newbies feel welcome.

I may have over-functioned in that respect, and at one point I was internally admonishing myself for this, especially regarding the two evening, self-directed, open-mike sing-along events.

Section 05

Not My Circus, Not My Monkey — Or Maybe It Is?

These informal, unstructured, evening outdoor gatherings were started years ago by someone who couldn’t make it this year.

Fearing that his absence would make it fall apart to some disappointment, I used my social capital to help make it succeed despite Doug’s absence.

This was not my circus, nor my monkey, but I cared too much to sit back and take the chance that it’d flop.

I’m glad we were able to find and welcome some new PPI rock stars.

Section 06

Final Thoughts

Any organization that allows me up on stage with a microphone, in my favourite shirt, every year, is one I cherish.

The FRED Talks were once again a highlight; I worry that we set a high bar for coming years.

Finally, please recall PPI Fellow Matt Wesley’s statement during the Fellows panel:

If you want to discuss any of this, hit me up!

See you back in Boulder in 2027.