Good morning, fine humans! I am fresh off the rogue wave that is the World Domination Summit. Even though it’s been a week since we’ve been home I am still feeling the effects of being there! So, so much fun.
As Brad Montague (from KidPresident.com) said “If the world is a twinkie, WDS is the cream filling.” 2,800 creatives, entrepreneurs, business owners, writers, adventurers, world changers, descended on Portland for a weekend of awesome. And awesome it was. I heard so many incredible stories from people all over the world. Humans who were genuinely interested in what each other had to say; no hidden agendas. No waving of business cards; Real, honest humanity. This was the theme of the weekend for me. In a world where we get rewarded for painting pretty “look-how-cool-my-life-is” pictures, it’s refreshing to have someone stand in front of you and tell you about what they’re excited about and ask you the same in a real face-to-face interaction.
I am grateful for the weekend and for the trip. Jen and I took it as a time to rest and explore as well. We had a adventure engagement session out on the Oregon coast the first day we were there. Had some amazing food throughout the trip. I got to do the Truffle Shuffle at The Freaking Goonies house (well, actually I did the Truffle Shuffle in the car near The Goonies house as there were a lot of people with cameras around :)). It was a relaxing end to an epic trip with a drive down the coast from Astoria back to Cannon Beach for a ridiculous sunset. (you’ll see!)
We get so busy during this season that it’s easy to lose where are. More importantly what got us here and where we’re going. It becomes routine to put our heads down and keep at it; not looking up to see what awesome might be forming in the distance. One of my favorite quotes from WDS came from Jon Acuff (A fellow Nashvillian and truly great guy), he said “We’re too busy to have a voice.”
Don’t get too busy to have a voice. Don’t let the busyness rule your thoughts or blur your vision. Don’t get too busy to remember why you’re here. Don’t get too busy to remember who you are. It’s the same advice Mufasa would give and that’s good enough for me.
[Tweet “If the world is a twinkie, WDS is the cream filling. -Brad Montague #wds2015”]
Here are a few photos from the week!
As I mentioned, we started out the trip on the coast with these awesome humans. We hiked through ferns and tall trees to hidden beaches. We had burgers and beers and made awesome stuff together. People who are willing to road trip to awesome locations with us are the best kind of people. You can see more of their Adventure Engagement Session.
This, my friends, is the Reggie Deluxe. It comes from a little place called Pine State Biscuits. Listen, I’m from the south. This might be the best chicken biscuit I’ve ever had. And that’s not all we had…
After this epicness, more epicness ensued. WDS Mainstage.
“You keep trying to win people over who will never like your voice…. we get these bird ideas and try to sell them to lobsters. Stop hanging out with lobsters.” -Jon Acuff
You might be thinking, “Hey, is that Kid President?!” Yes. My favorite thing he said (there was a q+a after his brother Brad gave an awesome keynote)
Q: Kid president, you won’t be a kid forever. What will you do when you’re an adult?
KP: “Well, when I’m an adult, I’m going to pretend to be a kid.”
Awesome.
So Portland has beer. And lot’s of other awesome things like food trucks, ukulele punk rock bands, artists, The Unipiper (aka guy who rides a unicycle while playing flame throwing bagpipes. Yep.), and good people. WDS pulls together all those things and puts them in one spot for a mini festival called The Portland Experience. It was delicious.
Toucan Sam and The Fruitloops. You can’t make this stuff up.
Oh, coffee. I’m so happy it exists. Especially Stumptown’s Cold Brew Nitro. Amazing! Here’s what it looks like in its full glory.
Now I’d like you to meet some of The Humans of WDS. This is not a comprehensive list (did I mention there were 2,800 0f us?) BUT I tried to get a picture of some of the people I met to help me remember their stories. So here they are:
This is Nancy. I was introduced to her as “my new Portland Food Sherpa.” and she and her significant other, Jeff, proved to be just that! When I asked Nancy what the was most exctied about right now, she told me about an art project she’s been working on called What Do You Love? Where she has people write in letters telling her what they love in the world. “Because everybody loves something.” They (Nancy and Jeff) have collaborated to make some beautiful graphics inspired by the letters. Check it out:
This is Jeff. My other Food Sherpa (thanks James Todd!). When I asked Jeff what he was most excited about right now he said:
“WDS. When I come here, I remember that I’m not alone. I love meeting these people and hearing their stories and it really pushes my comfort zone.”
Jeff, along with working for the Office of Equity and Human Rights in Portland (awesome.) and being an awesome graphic designer, also does voice work. Because his voice is the jam.
More about Jeff: aiwcreative.com
These two were great and I can’t thank them enough for hanging out and making me feel welcomed and directing me toward good food!
This is Jason. I met Jason in a coffee shop on Sunday morning. Right away I could tell he was excited to be awake and alive! When I asked him what he was most excited about right now, He said: “Connection.” Connecting people with people. That’s what he does. He so kindly offered me a copy of his book,
Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More. Thank you, Jason!
This is Canetha. I met her and her aunt Lenora while waiting in line to get into the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for the first round of keynotes. Again, I was met with a warm and welcome spirit. When I asked Canetha what she was most excited about right now she said:
“Sustainable travel.” Her and her husband both love to travel and so they are practitioners of responsible sustainable travel. Which basically means supporting local businesses, being mindful of your fuel consumption/carbon emissions, immersing yourself in local culture when you travel to new places.
I love that! Thanks for being awesome Canetha!
This is Lenora. Lenora is an awesome human. She is an end of life coach. As a RN working with hospice patients, she got to be with people in the final days of their lives. She told me these incredible tales of joy. Joy that she helped bring out by creating a Musical for Hospice Patients. Yes. A musical. To spread joy during a rough and emotional time in peoples lives and the lives of their families. How awesome is that?! When I asked her what she’s most excited about right now she said:
“My life has fallen apart in past few months. I’m excited about picking up the pieces and putting them back together again.”
Here’s to putting together the great puzzle, Lenora. Thanks for sharing your story.
(P.S. Lenora and Canetha used to travel together when Canetha was younger. This WDS was a revival of Canetha’s Adventures with Auntie!)
This is Susan. She’s awesome. Susan told me stories of good. Of the power of putting others above ourselves. When I asked her what she was most excited about she said:
“Helping humans be Hero-Minded.”
Because heroes think of helping others first. I think we could all use a little hero-mindedness in our lives. Thanks for sharing your awesome, Susan.
Find out more here: www.herominded.com
This is Ryan. Ryan makes it rain awesome. He works for Apple as an expert technician. He helps kids with ADHD to succeed. He helps teach people who to make better, less awkward presentations. I am glad to know him. I met Ryan nearly 3 years ago at our mutual friend James Todd’s birthday party. I didn’t to ask him what he’s most excited about, but if I had to guess it would be helping people realize how awesome they are. Thanks for being here, Ryan.
This is Daniel. I had a magnificent lunch at Kenny & Zukes Deli with this guy and got to hear about the cool things he’s doing in the Music Industry. First of all, he’s an amazing producer. In his journey and observations, he noticed a trend with new artists. They all had ambitions to be big stars but didn’t understand what it meant to truly be successful in this industry. So he set out to prepare musicians who are serious about their career for the life ahead. How to succeed in the industry, improve their skills, and learn how to better handle their money. So Rubicon Artist Development was created.
Great to meet you Daniel! Thanks for sharing your story.
This is Jeffrey. He also allowed me to have lunch with him at Kenny & Zukes. Jeffrey specializes in relational awesomeness. He’s a relationship coach, motivational speaker, and truly funny man. I’m glad I met him. He graciously gave me a copy of his book Renew Your Wows! Seven Powerful Tools to Ignite the Spark and Transform Your Relationship. Which is about “showing up” in your relationships. Thanks for letting me hang, Jeff! Great to meet you!
More about Jeffrey: http://www.jeffreysumber.com
This is Heath and Alyssa. They traveled across the U.S. in a 1994 RV and Heath worked an hourly job for one day all 50 states. Alyssa filmed it all and they made a documentary in which they tell the stories of their journey and of the people they met. So awesome.
More about Heath and Alyssa adventure: www.hourlyamerica.com
Great to meet you guys and thanks for sharing so many awesome stories!
This is Chris and Mary. They live just up the street from us and are great friends. Right now, they are really passionate about seeing the world and sharing what they’ve learned with people. Getting to spend time with them on this trip was a highlight for sure. Now, stay in Nashville for a bit and we can do this more often! Love you guys!
This is Matt. Matt is constantly doing work in Real Estate in North Texas. For every commission his company (Hilton Realty Advisors) gets, Matt donates 10% to a charity of the clients choice. When I asked Matt what he was most excited about right now, “Preparing to run for President.” But not in like a joking way. Like in a I’m-going-to-be-the-President way. So awesome.
This is Nat. Nat is a triathlete and he also trains them. Which is rad enough. But when I asked Nat what he was most excited about right now:
“Training a triathlete from every country in the world.”
Very rad.
More about Nat: https://about.me/njh
Oh, we also broke some world records while we were there. The Largest Breakfast In Bed Party, The Most People To Put On Lipstick At The Same Time… and The Longest High-Five Train. After it was broken, we just kept giving high fives. Because WDS.
Derek Sivers. He started CD Baby. “People remember things that make them smile.”
Thank you, Chris Guillebeau for such an amazing weekend. And for showing up for all of us and truly giving. It was awesome.
And the final party. Yes. Huge thanks to all the awesome people who made this weekend unforgettable.
Post WDS we met up with our friends Jim and Ilde Cook. It was Ilde’s Birthday so we made sure to take some photos of her because she’s awesome.
Jim, Ilde, and Jadah and Jen (from Simple Green Smoothies) and their families, let us crash their party.
Then we let Jim and Ilde (www.shehewe.com)snap a few photos of us. Thank you guys!
We woke up the next morning and drove to the coast!
#goonies #truffleshuffle #neversaydie
I’m still obsessed with these trees that push right up against the ocean. Something that screams Pacific Northwest to me.
I have no words.
And on that note, I leave you. Until next time my friends, keep being awesome. You are loved.
Happy Wednesday!
Chris
.png "Jen and Chris Creed Website")