Sleep in a New Bed, Dominate the World

“I sleep in old beds.”

And with that, World Domination Summit (WDS) 2014 was off and running. WDS is not an extreme political rally or a kinky sex fest as some people in my orbit thought. According to the website, “WDS is a gathering of creative, interesting people from all over the world. Every summer, thousands of people travel to Portland, Oregon for an immersive experience in life, work, and travel.” According to me, it’s an opportunity for information exchange to fuel dreams.

I came to WDS as a virgin. I was there because a friend kept gently nudging me to go. I finally asked for one solid reason why I should attend this event that attracts 3,000 seemingly oddball people. She told me that I would be inspired to create my dream. With that, I got out of my old bed and started packing.

***

Before attending the World Domination Summit, I spent three weeks in the Redwoods as a counselor at Camp Grounded – summer camp for adults. After going through this transformational experience, I thought I’d be ready for 2,998 new friends. But, just to be safe, I attended the participant lead meet up that addressed the concept of overwhelm. It’s here that two points crystallized:

1. Your essence is who you are.
2. Your “overwhelm” is what you do – it’s your habit.

Your “overwhelm” is your old bed. We all have one. We attend events that build us up, that inspire us, that make our hearts dance. Then we go home and read the mail, clean our homes and sleep in our old beds.

When we slip into old habits, we deny the opportunity to move forward – to grow personally and professionally. It’s easier to do what we’ve always done. It’s safe. It’s not, however, going to give us the opportunity to live out our dreams. Our dreams aren’t in our bedcovers – they’re out in the word waiting to be discovered and cultivated.

***

Because I was a newbie, I looked at my attendance as a dress rehearsal. I didn’t know the right way to navigate through the 2,998 dreamers who were seemingly already living their dreams. Worse still was the fear that I would leave with notes that couldn’t actually be put into practice. But, I didn’t want to sleep in my old bed, so I started jotting things down that could benefit daily living and help build my dream. My goal was to seek out practical applications for the WDS experiences so they could be useful instead of ornamental. After reviewing my notes and my memories, I’ve put together a manageable list of takeaways that I’m using to keep me out of my old bed:

1.    “I am a cousin.”

This reminds me that we’re all connected, and, we’re also all human. By showing each other compassion, we become more tolerant and kind. When someone cuts us off in traffic, we can be more forgiving if we see that person as a “cousin” who’s just having a bad day.

2.    “Take imperfect action.”

My new business is far from perfect, however, it exists and every day I take an action step to keep it moving forward. It may never be the perfect vision I have in my head, but if I wait for perfection I may never have anything more than that vision.

3.    “Use your talent to help others.”

While I enjoy improvisational theater and do spend time on stage performing in shows I’ve produced, the other side of improv is what makes my small talent come alive for something bigger than just me. By working with people new to improv via playshops, I’m able to help them be authentic, take risks, try something new, make connections, conquer fears and ultimately have adventures. That is way richer than putting myself in the spotlight.

4.    “Sometimes the best thing you can do is listen.”

I love to talk. This may seem like a positive quality because I can break the ice in social situations, but sometimes it’s better to just be quiet. Someone else may just want to put something out there in the world that could fuel a dream. I can help fuel that dream by doing nothing but being quiet.

5.    “To design your life you must intentionally choose a destination.”

I intentionally chose to find a life partner on November 29, 2011. On November 29, 2012, I got married. Now, I’m choosing to create a business that’s built around my personal essence statement. This is so much more satisfying than living a default life because this is the most me I can be.

6.    “Take a moment to just be.”

Lately, I’ve been taking a lot of breaths, as that’s my prompt to take a moment. By slowing down, I can be more mindful and less stressed. I can have a conversation with a stranger at an airport. I can see the opportunity for a photo. I can just be.

7.    “Just start.”

Whoever said starting was the hardest part was right. I’m starting big things in very small ways – a conversation, a Google search, a note. Big things aren’t born big – they hatch small and grow. Just start – with one small thing.

8.    “Share your idea.”

When I launched my business on February 1^st there was no parade or newspaper story or countdown on a website. It was just a day where I lead a workshop for two people. When people asked about my new business I’d say, “Oh it’s weird and you probably wouldn’t be into it.” If no one knows your idea, it won’t take root. Share it. Discuss it. Live it. Only then will you find others who will embrace it.

9.    “Choose to honor your voice.”

Another thing I did in my old bed was say things such as, “Everyone is doing travel stuff … everyone is doing improv stuff … everyone is doing stuff.” Not anyone is doing my stuff as no one else is me. No one has my voice and my perspective and my personal way of developing ideas.

10. “Make good choices.”

The best choice I can make for myself after leaving WDS is to honor these takeaways every day. When those days happen where I slip, I can try the next day to make a better choice because, remember, it’s O.K. to take imperfect action.

I intended to come to WDS as an observer to merely soak it all in to see what resonated. However, someone requested that I coordinate a participant meet up, so we could do some improv with WDS as a backdrop. By doing this I agreed to “imperfect action” as I didn’t have a playshop outlined, however I “used my talent to help others” and so the very improvisational improv meet up was an amazing gift. I had the opportunity to “share my idea” when the meet up attendees asked if this was something I did in my new business. And this time I “made a good choice” by “honoring my voice” and telling them, “Yes, I connect people to authentic adventures via play and improvisational theater is the tool I use to do this.”

Thank you WDS for helping me sleep in a new bed.