World Domination Summit, that’s where.
Honestly, if I get any more inspired my head is going to explode. But I’m not complaining, nosireebob, it has been a long, long time since I’ve been inspired to do my own thing.
I’ve been wanting to attend WDS since the first iteration. But, alas, Portland is not the easiest place to get to from New Zealand.
This year I finally got my chance. I got the chance to meet blogger friends of mine I’ve been wanting to tackle hug for years. Jenny Foss, Alexis Grant, Jenny Blake… I mean, these are women I’ve been emailing since the early days. How have I known J-Fo for four years but we’ve never met? Well, the wait is over. Not only did we meet, but Jenny let me into her home over the 4th of July where I hung out with her awesome family during the most family-oriented of holidays. One I haven’t celebrated in the United States since 2009.
Oh, then I got to be Alexis Grant’s roommate. Lexi has guest posted here before and we had never had a chance to bond in person until this weekend.
And I got to meet my internet hero, Chris Guillebeau. Then I ran into Darren Rowse four separate times and I secretly-not-so-secretly want to be his best friend. I saw my favorite author, Gretchen Ruben, give an incredible talk about happiness. Jia Jang made me cry like a little girl when he talked about asking for rejection 100 times.
Whenever anyone asks what WDS is, I don’t really have any answer. Simply put, it’s where people go to be inspired. Take TED talks and turn it into a full weekend. You get live music. You get food truck tours. You get a dinner with a marching band at the Oregon Zoo. You learn how to dance Gangnam Style with a Bollywood twist in the middle of Portland on a Sunday night.
I am devastatingly sad that WDS is over. Like BiSC back in May, I found my people. I found the inspiration I needed to start this blog again in a way that feels right to me at this point in my life. I have big ideas about how to help other social media managers make the most out of their career. I have ideas about daily adventures even though I’m not traveling rightthissecond. I was inspired about my work and my job and my life and my writing.
But now that I’m back in San Francisco… the buzz has worn off a bit. Despite living here for seven months, and with the exception of a few quality folks, I still haven’t found “my people”. The people who inspire me to take risks and have adventures and get off my ass and do something Important In The World.
Why is this? Am I not looking in the right places? Is San Francisco filled only with hippies and tech nerds? Regardless, WDS inspired me not only in my work, but to really look at the people who surround me. To reach out more for that spark that makes me dance like a crazy person in the middle of Portland. The person that so willingly got up in front of 3,000 people and told my story…
Cuz yeah, that happened.
WDS has, I think, given me the kick in the ass I need to start being inspired by the world and the people around me. But I’m terrified that being out of Portland I’ll lose that spark. Advice? What’s been inspiring you lately?
Photo credits: Armosa Studios