Photograph: Armosa Studios.
I just returned from the World Domination Summit held in Portland, Oregon. This is a summit that explores how to create an unconventional life in a conventional world. Its key three core values are community, service and adventure. Many of the participants are entrepreneurs, bloggers and generally people who strike me as relatively sparkly. I use this term to describe those people who you occasionally meet who just seem to have a bit more life, a sparkle in their countenance, and a generous disposition. They are willing to imagine and entertain new ideas and possibilities for themselves as well as inspiring and serving others in the process.
I go because I truly become inspired being around these kinds of people. Making art takes a huge amount of faith and in many ways a kind of unbridled optimism to counteract much of the limiting beliefs our society generates around being and surviving as an artist today. Even though this is not a conference centered on the creation of art, many of its themes completely relate.
One of the big takeaways from the conference for me was this idea about how essential it is to truly create what matters first and foremost for oneself. This is absolutely true for artists as well as business entrepreneurs.
If your passion can be determined and pursued there seems to be an almost divine intervention that steps in to help. Jumping first and then the net will arrive, stepping boldly forward based on your intuition, what feels right, regardless of whether or not you have a plan in place can more often than not deliver you to a place that is much more in alignment and closer to what you truly desire. You might not get it on the first try but it is in the repetition of attempts that allow one to hone their focus and build momentum towards any goal or desired outcome.
Just listening to amazing speakers such as Jadah Sellner and Michael Hyatt who again and again echoed this theme of “taking imperfect action” I LOVE this phrase because in it is the word “action” but along with it is this idea that it most probably will be “imperfect”. They come together. Imperfect Action. It underscores the fact that more than likely your action will be less than perfect. However this notion of at least taking some kind of action even if imperfect is in the end how amazing companies, books, art and really anything at all that you can imagine are created.
Taking action when you are unsure is downright scary. When I think back to most of the incredible occurrences in my life they all came to me when I was in a place of little or no confidence. It turns out that being vulnerable and trying anyway is the precursor to getting or at least getting closer to what you truly desire.
Walking out of the beautiful Schnitzer Theatre on the last day of WDS I overheard someone summarize this idea quite beautifully: “Nothing amazing ever happens within your comfort zone.” I tend to agree.
What imperfect action have you taken lately?
