So I just bought a yurt…

…because I’m going to Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada, again. Round Two. Thanks to the business I’ve built this past year — I’ve upgraded.

No More Tent!

This time, you will not see me lose my mind on the Playa from lack of sleep, wearing amber-tinted motorcycle goggles that hide eyes so tired they sit in the sockets like boiled eggs. You will not catch me sweating and seething in a flimsy tent pitched in a dusty unshaded patch only 20 feet away from half an airplane blaring rave music all night and through late morning, blasting fireballs every few minutes so close and hot they look like they’re shredding the tent membrane. Nor will you spot me catching Zzzzzzz’s curled up in my dusty negligee and combat boots on the divine busted-up couches, clutching my holy water-filled carabiner in the Skinny Kitty Lounge — my sleep saviors!

This year, I shall dwell in a silvery, cool-aired, spacious Hexayurt. A house that folds up neatly like an accordion! A feat of engineering and an ingenious solution to housing problems around the world. Built by a groovy, Eagle Scout, X-Game-loving moto-crossing self-proclaimed “human Swiss army knife” who loves to serve. Thank you Ricochet!

How can I go off grid for a solid week?

Because I have a team.

How can I afford to go? And to go in more style?

Because I worked my arse off all year, got clear on my message, harnessed mine and my clients’ personal stories like so many helium-filled balloons to that message. Then, I served people who did the work and who experienced seismic emotional shifts and spectacular concrete results. The kind you can take to the bank — the real one, and the one that stores your confidence. These guys — you guys! — rocked your blogs, your books, your talks — from event breakout sessions to TEDx. You confirmed that my gifts translate into the Wild West of the entrepreneurial world, and you helped inject new meaning into my life. Seeing your faces light up as you unstuck your stories and stepped into a pool of light, and into your power — exhilarates. Inspires.

Deep bow and curtsy from the magical canyon.

This year, you might see me swanning through the dust storms, (relatively) fresh-faced from true sleep and grinning at the fire-belching octopi art cars and festive bicycles. You might see me greeting visitors at the Sacred Zen Garden, where I’ll camp this year. You might see me dressed in dazzling white at my post as a volunteer Temple Guardian.

Or you might even see me pedaling far out into Deep Playa, to seek questions — if not answers.

It is always about posing questions. The right ones.

This year, because I won’t be purely hellbent only on survival — I am able to volunteer to help at the Temple where people go to grieve, to celebrate, to express themselves in ways they cannot in their everyday lives. This year, I can afford to stay at a proper camp where there are sun-filled artful showers and meditation classes in a Golden Dome, and I will be able to welcome guests. I even rented a bicycle right there on the Playa. Last year I borrowed almost everything. This year, I am also able to explore Deep Playa — far beyond where the pop-up city glitters — something I completely missed last year. And I will be able to be more present and awake with fellow seekers, adventurers and travelers.

Mind you, this adventure is funded because I saved up all year to created my first ever travel fund and create the chance to return to Burning Man. In the past, I made money to travel and then blew it all. I never made plans. Never scheduled. I thought scheduling was bourgeois!

Now I know it equals freedom.

The truth is — if I am to be of service in the most vital and inspiring way, I must be inspired first before I can inspire others.

I must feed my Why.

There is a reason everyone from CEOs to Nobel-Prize-winnning scientists, to artists and dreamers, go to Burning Man.

Let these last days of summer be about radical self-expression and radical self-reliance for you. Find your own Burning Man! Where do you find your inspiration? How do you step out of your comfort zone to experience growth? Please share with us in the comments below. Join the conversation, and the community! If we collectively step out of our comfort zone, there is always someone there to embrace us.