I attended the World Domination Summit last weekend in Portland. Led by Chris Guillebeau with the idea of “living a remarkable life in a conventional world,” the conference inspires positive social change. Here are a few takeaways from my experience:
- I found Pam Slim’s the Art of Action seminar to be practical and inspiring. She gave us a simple formula to begin taking action on our dreams and asked us to brainstorm with the person next to us. The quick collaboration gave me a new idea to approach my goal of presenting and coaching within companies, and I have a straightforward list of actions and deadlines, as well as a new buddy for accountability.
- I enjoyed Darren Rowse’s presentation on the main stage about the importance of dreams, and his breakout session with Chris Garrett was chock-full of best practices for blogging. I’m using one of their tips right now by asking you, reader: What topics or questions would you be interested in me covering on this blog? Leave a comment to this post below.
- I found Steve Schalchlin’s performance (piano and singing) incredibly moving. Through his songs, he tells the story of his experience with HIV in the mid-90’s and the amazing return to life from death’s door when he was chosen through a lottery to receive a new medication. He calls his life now as “living in the bonus round,” and his message of hope and triumph were inspiring.
- Donald Miller was the final speaker, and he shared his story and experience about stepping out of the false self we create to avoid shame and showing who we truly are. He spoke from the heart, and his authenticity gave strength to his message.
A lot of emphasis throughout the weekend was on entrepreneurship, and while the audience was largely entrepreneurs or those who want to leave their corporate job, I was surprised that there wasn’t any discussion on making a difference from within an organization. It was proudly mentioned several times that WDS is not sponsored by any corporations, but it seemed that the massive impact that corporations can have for good was completely overlooked. Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. Fortunately, you can still have a positive impact on the world, especially your world and those around you, by being a force for good where you are.
