Last weekend I attended the World Dommination Summit in Portland Oregon, led by Chris Guillebeau.
If you want to get an idea of what happened there, people are still tweeting it with the #WDS hashtag and writing about it places like here, here, and here. (WARNING: you will immediately want to sign up for next year’s summit and registration won’t start until fall.)
The summit ended Sunday, but I’ve been struggling to verbalize what it meant for me. There were so many truly life-changing lessons and incredible people that I’ve been feeling like I’m in a daze. I thought it was from lack of sleep, but I’m just awakening to the fact that the cause is rooted much deeper.
Last week I wrote about my decision to leave acting. That was a big one for me and if I’m totally honest, I thought that one choice would pave the road to clarity for me. But after this weekend, I’ve learned something else:
Making Life-Changing Choices is addictive.
Once we discover that we have the power to create our own lives, we can’t settle for anything less than incredible.
Which sounds awesome, and romantic, and straight out of a movie.
Until we are faced with the reality of actually going through it.
And then we want to vomit.
If I went to a doctor to describe how I feel when I’m infected with a case of the Life-Changing Choices, the symptoms would look something along the lines of this:
- Mood swings. One minute the world is my oyster and I feel deeply connected to the world around me. The next minute I feel small and terribly, terribly alone.
- Low-grade nausea. Something doesn’t sit right. It feels like being punched in the stomach.
- Seeing signs everywhere. A hyper-awareness that the universe is trying to tell me something- or at least that I’m ready to listen.
- Numbness. I’d have trouble picking my emotions out of a line-up.
- Difficulty focusing. I can almost literally hear the wheels grunting under the weight in my brain.
There are countless comparisons I could insert here about finding the diamond in the rough, going through the dark tunnel to get to the light, blah blah blah.
I guess, all I really want to say, is that if you’ve been bitten by a case of the Life-Changing Choices, you are not alone.
Of course there’s no magic pill that will make us feel 100% certain or speed up the recovery process. But the one thing I’m finding helps ease the pain is large doses of
FAITH.
Take with water, rest, and fresh air.
We’ll all feel better in the morning.
Even if that morning isn’t tomorrow.
Hi! I'm Monica and I believe in choosing, living, and sharing our own stories.
I’m glad you figured out where Oregon was
I had a bad case of life changing choices on Sunday. It was like a kick to the chest. Ow!
A few nights of restless sleep and I think I’ve got a direction/focus/answer.
No, we are not alone.
Ha- yes, geography was never my strongest suit.
SO thrilled you found your way.
Looking forward to hearing more!
“Once we discover that we have the power to create our own lives, we can’t settle for anything less than incredible.”
I feel like you’re hitting on the shock I’m feeling being back home. I’m changed on the inside, but my surroundings are the same. I’m starting to get why constant travel is so attractive to many of the people we met.
We’re not alone, because we have each other. I really wish I were moving to NYC, not Sac.
Such a great point Brigitte- experiencing a change and then coming home to “normal” is a bit unnerving.
NYC will always be here for you lady!
Honey girl you said exactly what I fell…almost. Of course my experience is unique to me, but this was the most life altering (if I allow it) weekend I’ve had in my 52 years in terms of possibility and breaking free.
Go for it whatever it is! Iam
Also it was a pleasure to see your vibrant self.
Hearts
Gwyn, I’m beyond excited for you!
Thanks you so much for your encouragement.
And for calling me “vibrant”- I like that description.
Looking forward to hearing about your new adventures!
Thanks for the beautiful articulation of the ineffable.
I’ve felt a bit gerbil-like, trying to capture everything and get it down/out as quickly as possible.
Alternating with waking at 5 am, working til 8, sleeping til noon. Yoga Nidra to rest and receive.
Best cure for conference brain freeze is body love – walks, baths, naps, exercise. It’s what helps me to integrate all that glory.
Thanks for addressing the emotional realm! Enjoy grounding down your wds juju.
Hi Cynthia~
Gerbil-like = fantastic description!
Thank you for your lovely reminder to nurture the body in order to nurture the spirit.
Somehow everything manages to work out in the end, doesn’t it?:)
Thank you so much for this post, Monica. WDS was great, but I often felt I was on the outside looking in. I suffer from Comparisonitis (my insides to their outsides), and I found myself lacking in that company. So many post-conference blog entries are about being fired up and ready to rock, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone in the “difficulty focusing”.
Thanks for your bravery in admitting your Comparisonitis… you are certainly not alone in that one! I know what you mean on feeling like you are on the outside… My advice for what it’s worth, is that no one is going to let you “in”- you have to make the conscious choice to do that yourself (easier said than done, I know!). If we all trust our own intuition, we can find our own way… eventually:)
[...] written quite a bit about the importance of making difficult choices here and here and here. I’m a firm believer that making choices provides necessary opportunities [...]