Hi ,

Yesterday I was giving an interview to Devin Slavin, and we got to talking about the bigger why behind Simplero. It really resonated with him, and I realized I don't think I've shared it with you. Until now.

It used to be that you could sort-of coast  through life. Get an education, get a job, make decent money, have reasonable job security, save for retirement, retire, and be fine. Never really having to dig in there and get to know yourself, never really having to uncover your genius and your art, and that worked alright.

That world is gone. The middle class is shrinking. The 2008 financial crisis changed things. The economy has been booming, but jobs haven't been coming back the same way. Sure, you can survive, but that old system is working less and less well.

In the world we live in now, in order to thrive, you have to go inside, discover who you really are, what you really feel, what you're here to do, what lights you up, your secret, hidden desires.

When I saw and heard that guy singing in that tent at Burning Man two years ago, I had no idea that I had a desire to sing, much less a desire to write songs and create music. I had not even an inkling of a hunch. That's how deeply I had buried that desire. It was only after taking voice lessons for months, and slowly starting to see myself and the world around me more clearly, that it came up as something I wanted to do, bit by bit.

And this is just one example. 10-12 years ago, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted to do. I was so outward focused. "I'm not good enough, I need to be successful before I can be good enough, show me how to be successful." Being successful is such a low bar to set.

The point is, to thrive in this world, you've got to go on a journey inside. Once you're willing to do that, you'll find that your life really starts to open up and feel like magic.

And this process is what we're all about here. Supporting people on this journey. Sharing our journey. Teaching, coaching. Providing Simplero as a tool both for the students that are learning, and for the teachers that have found their purpose in guiding others on this journey.

Every time there's teaching and learning going on, there's an increase in awareness and consciousness. You get to know yourself better. You get to know the world better. You understand your place in the world a little better. Doesn't really matter much what the subject is. Could even be something that you realize you'll never ever use. That's increased awareness as well.

The even bigger piece of this is that the only way for humanity to solve the challenges we're facing—climate change, terrorism, failed economies, political corruption, hunger, poverty, pollution, overpopulation, overconsumption of resources, surveillance states, and on and on—is through growth in consciousness and awareness, through business. Problems only get solved when it's aligned with business interests. Can't do it in the meditation class alone. Can't do it with government or philanthropy. The majority of our lives are spent doing business. Business needs to be a force for good. It can be. It is a lot of the time.

That's the game we're playing. We're trying to be an example of a business that's a force for good, that works to raise consciousness on the planet, and do our tiny part to solve the challenges that we as humanity are facing. Through software. Sounds a bit crazy, perhaps. But that's what we believe. And we provide tools and support to people who are aligned with our mission.

So thank you so much for being here. Together, we really are changing the world.

New Features in Simplero

On Friday, we dropped a massive upgrade to Simplero: The ability to quote prices and charge in multiple currencies.

What most people are looking to do is to be able to quote prices in both your local currency (British Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Australian Dollars, Euros, or Danish/Swedish/Norwegian Kroner, for example), as well as quoting them in US dollars for a global audience. Online, in other countries, people are just going to be most familiar and comfortable with pricing in a currency they're familiar with. And most people are familiar with US dollars.

But it doesn't stop there. You can add any currency you like, and as many as you like. The price you quote is the price we'll charge, and your customers will know what they're paying.

This has been in progress for a very long time, and it's great to finally have it out there for you to use.

I hope you make some killer business using this.

Random Links from around the Interwebs

Why ugly, messy interfaces can be exactly what you need. Personally I hate Virgin America's new booking interface. It tries so hard to look sleek and simple and elegant that it's a nightmare to use. And it's really slow too on my computer, and I have the fastest MacBook money can by with the most RAM it'll take. Can we get messy and ugly but functional, please? Thank you!

Speaking of Virgin America, sad to see that the sorry state of competition in America sunk it as an independent airline. I hope they stay as cool. I'm flying Virgin to LA on Tuesday. I doubt it, though. Economist does, too.

Speaking of lack of competition. The Economist made it their cover story a few weeks ago. Leader and article.

Have a fantamazing week.

Lots of love,
–Calvin