Dominating Your World

by Chris Arnold on July 07, 2011

I recently had the sincere pleasure of partaking in the inaugural World Domination Summit, held in Portland, Oregon, and kicked off by Chris Guillebeau.

A domination summit, you ponder? Derived from core ideologies of non-comformist strategists and thought leaders, the very rough blueprint offers a starting point for doing your best life's work. Finding a sense of connectivity in your day-to-day, breaking stereotypical norms, and following your true passions.

I was uncertain what I would find. Realizing the experience wasn't going to resemble a traditional entrepreneurial business conference—far from it—I peeled back my ears and eyes to new people and new ideas. I left more energized for the future than I could have imagined.

Now back in Denver, I've had a difficult time processing all that I learned from the experiences and people groups I came across. Most stories were laced with finding a greater purpose in life, but none held the same course, and that was exciting.

Portland has always piqued my interest. West coast, progressive, and a place that comes with a laundry list of high praise. On recommendation from the gracious and talented Ian Coyle, I was able to book it to Grüner, which is close to Powell Books, Ace Hotel, and the recently sold Stumptown Coffee. Little did I know, it would be the start of an inspiring weekend. By 3pm on Thursday, I met the first conference arrivals at the newly renovated Crystal Hotel.

The meat of the conference was held Saturday and Sunday, and after a gathering rang in the event Friday evening, we were off. The weekend consisted of a whirlwind of speakers, from Zen habit architects and imaginative Firebowl artists, to Firestarters and big dreamers. It was perhaps the furthest thing from a stereotypical business-focused conference I could imagine.

Thankfully, long days were kept copacetic with food cart socials and afternoon breaks, but even they were met with longer nights as we conversed with new friends whilst exploring local offerings. All the while, we met new attendees, discussed where we'd been, and more importantly, where we aim to be.

Approximately one month later, I still can't seem to capture the essence of WDS through words. I'm very aware, though, that the group of people that landed in PDX on that particular weekend were of a different breed—focused on business ideas and larger inspirations rather than bragging rights.

It was, to me, a rewarding experience. And from it I took a few things to re-focus on: awareness, humility, and more time to slow down.

How will you dominate your world?