Images of The est Training

Photo Scrapbook

Werner Erhard talks about the est Training on the Dinah Shore Show – 1976

The History of The est Training

History of The est Training

1971

• In June Werner Erhard had a realization about the nature of being…
• And in October that realization manifested into the est Training. Werner Erhard first led the est Training in San Francisco at the Jack Tar Hotel and the world of possibility was born.
• Laurel Sheaf named as president and CEO of est
• First est office, 2nd floor on Kearney Street in San Francisco
• Original est staff members included Werner Erhard, Gonneke Spits, Laurel Scheaf, Jack Rafferty and Elaine Cronin
• While only about 600 people participated in est Training by the end of 1971, it was the beginning of something new. The beginning of people getting that what is, is and what isn’t, isn’t and you can choose to be responsible for your life. People took on making a difference in their lives, their community and the world.

Werner Erhard

Werner Erhard quoting Rainer Maria Rilke, “If I don’t manage to fly, someone else will. The spirit wants only that there be flying. As for who happens to do it, in that he has only a passing interest.”

The Hunger Project

Celebrating 50 Years!

It is now the 21st Century and there is much talk of possibility, making a difference and transformational leadership – but where did this all start? October 1971, 50 years ago in the Jack Tar hotel, a hotel that was noted in San Francisco as the future, a building that was said to be 30 years ahead of its time. In this hotel ballroom Werner Erhard, way ahead of his time, was responsible for transformation bursting on to the scene and the national stage. Werner Erhard and the est Training brought to the forefront the idea of transformation, personal responsibility, accountability and possibility – and in less than a decade a half a million people across the globe “Got It”.

50 Years of Transformation

The Purpose of the est Training was to transform one’s ability to experience living so that the situations one had been trying to change or had been putting up with clear up just in the process of life itself.

Over the years more than three million people from all walks of life participated in est or the programs that grew out of Werner Erhard’s est Training. Professionals and leaders from government, business and health industries, as well as people in the fields of arts and entertainment actively participated in the programs of est.

The est Training

“The real purpose of est was to create space for people to participate in life – to experience true space and freedom in life.”
Werner Erhard

Being of Service

My notion about service is that service is actually that kind of relationship in which you have a commitment to the person.

Service is about knowing who the other person is, and being able to tolerate giving space to their garbage.

What most people do is to give space to people’s quality and deal with their garbage.

Actually, you should do it the other way around.

Deal with who they are and give space to their garbage.

Keep interacting with them as if they were perfect.

And every time you get garbage from them, give space to the garbage and go back and interact with them as if they were perfect.

~Werner Erhard

Giving One’s Word

Any time I give my word to others, I have also given my word to myself to be good for my word. If I hold myself up as a person of integrity and do not honor my word to myself, it is highly unlikely that I will be able to be in integrity with others. – Werner Erhard