There are conferences, and there’s the World Domination Summit – also lovingly called WDS. This 4th of July weekend, I attended the 2013 World Domination Summit. It was the 3rd time I made the journey from Los Angeles to Portland to meet close to 3000 fellow WDS attendees and to listen to amazing speakers that would share their insights on how to live a remarkable life in a conventional world.
Like the 2 times prior, I was transformed by the end of the conference. Now, saying that one is transformed is a pretty serious statement. But I’m not kidding. I truly feel I left Portland a different person. And I was not the only one. I saw Problogger Darren Rowse leave as Superman. (Don’t believe me? Check out the photo from the event!)
Darren Rowse as Superman. Photo by Chris Guillebeau
I witnessed Tess Vigeland’s emotional response to 3000 people giving her a standing ovation for baring her soul on stage. Tess had admitted that she did not feel remarkable at all anymore after leaving her job as host of APM’s Marketplace Money.
I met many fellow World Dominators at the conference telling me about their own transformation. All of them felt like, thanks to WDS, they were ready to tackle new projects and push their limits – with fresh inspiration and enthusiasm.
So what was it that had 3000 people experience blissful amounts of energy and crazy shifts in perspective, a raise in self-confidence and the belief in their innate superpowers?
I believe the answer is: True Voice.
My WDS compañera Emily Lewis told me this: She found herself sitting next to a young woman, early 20ies, fresh out of college, in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and started chatting as they were both waiting for the next WDS speaker to go on stage. Emily asked the woman next to her what she loved most about her first WDS experience. The young woman answered: “I haven’t had to lie to anyone since I got here.”
Oh, wow! Let that statement sink in for a second. This young woman did not have to lie to anyone. She did not have to pretend or put on a mask. Instead, she could be herself and speak from the heart without the fear of being judged for who she is. That’s powerful!
That’s the power of true voice, people!
I saw other WDS attendees tweeting about how they enjoyed just being themselves. How they started making themselves vulnerable. Many conference attendees opened up about their dreams and their vision for how they wanted to live their lives, for the first time in a loooong time. Others were already on their path to creating their dream future, but would find themselves being hampered frequently by their inner “critic” as well as external detractors and cynics, not to mention by the pressure to fit in.
Expectations to gain financially and socially can stifle our true voice. We all want to belong, but instead we’re trying very hard to fit in.
Someone who fits in can’t stand out.
Someone who fits in will echo other people’s messages.
Someone who fits in will suppress his true voice.
But not at the World Domination Summit. WDS serves as a breeding ground for true voice. It’s true voice times 3000 – and that’s why I came home a different person. Transformed by the power of true voice. Transformed by the discovery of the power of my own true voice.
A true voice needs nurturing. And that’s what the WDS community does to me. And that’s why I return to the World Domination Summit every single year. Thanks everyone for sharing your true voice and for not lying but being your true self at this year’s WDS!!
I encourage you to continue pushing through your discomfort level as you return back to your daily routine – and trust in your true voice. It’s more powerful than you’d think it is! Remember: There’s a Superman in all of us!
Here’s to your true voice, rebels! Cheers!
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WDS photos courtesy of Chris Guillebeau
Instagram photo by Allison Nuyen
