World Domination and the Pursuit of Happiness
Published on - June 11th, 2011 (Modified on - June 13th, 2011) (by J.D. Roth) My friend Chris Guillebeau never rests. Over the past few years, he’s written a best-selling book, visited every U.S. state and Canadian province (except Nunavut, but why quibble?), and traveled to more than 150 countries — all while maintaining a popular blog.
Not one to rest on his laurels, last summer Guillebeau hatched a plan to bring a bunch of dreamers and writers and entrepreneurs and travelers to Portland for a convention. He wanted to call it the World Domination Summit. Last weekend, Guillebeau’s plan came to fruition: A horde of passionate people spent the weekend learning from each other at the Portland Art Museum.
The pursuit of happiness
Everyone I talk to wants to know what the World Domination Summit was about. It’s tough to describe. It’s true that many of the 500 attendees were bloggers, but it wasn’t a blogging convention. A lot of the folks were entrepreneurs, but the summit wasn’t just about building a business. There was plenty of networking, but that wasn’t the primary focus. Ultimately, I guess, it was about working — by yourself and with others — to craft a better world.
Perhaps this chalk art from Gwyn Michael says it best:
Make your own world. I love that.
I’ve changed a lot over the past five years. I continue to change. I read new books, I meet new people, I go new places, I discover new ideas. All of these things have a profound impact on who I am — and who I want to become. I’m learning that to be happy, I do have to make my own world.
I used to live for what I thought others wanted. I did what was expected of me. But more and more, I’m doing what I want. So long as I’m not abridging the freedom of others, I believe this is my highest aim: the pursuit of my own happiness.
The speakers at the the World Domination Summit talked a lot about making your own world and pursuing happiness, whether that means becoming an artist, traveling to foreign lands, or paying attention to the small details that make daily life joyful. Our speakers included:
- Pam Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation
- Leo Babauta of Zen Habits
- Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads
- Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks
- Neil Pasricha of 1000 Awesome Things
- Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen of Mondo Beyondo
- Artist John T. Unger
- Jonathan Fields of Career Renegade
Most of these folks also led workshops or meetups. Other workshop leaders included David Fugate, Michael Bungay Stanier, Laura Roeder, Mark Silver, and Kim and Jason Kotecki.
But that’s not all! The conference also included an opening party complete with ice sculpture and Adam Baker‘s RV. Plus tours through downtown Portland on the evening of the annual Starlight Parade. And what conference is complete without Bollywood dancing? We had some of that, too:
Leo Babauta and Chris Guillebeau, dancing to “Jai Ho!”
Behind the scenes
A conference of this size and scope doesn’t just happen. A small team spent over a year planning to make sure the event would be outstanding. The primary movers behind organizing the summit included:
- Chris Guillebeau
- Jolie Guillebeau
- Tsilli Pines
- Sean Ogle
- Tyler Tervooren
- Tammy Strobel (and her husband, Logan)
- J.D. Roth
You’ll note that each of these folks has been featured in some way at Get Rich Slowly in the past. It was a great team to work with.
During the final weeks, we brought in Michelle Jones, who helped organize TEDxConcordiaUPortland, at which Chris spoke in early May. There’s no question that Michelle was the missing ingredient we’d needed all along. It was her presence on this team that caused everything to come together.
Chris Guillebeau, with Michelle Jones watching over him.
Many WDS attendees remarked on how smoothly the conference ran. I’m glad it seemed that way! There were a number of speed bumps during the weekend. There were things we forgot to prepare for, things we never anticipated would go wrong, and problems we thought might happen — but hoped wouldn’t. We coped with them quickly and quietly.
At one point on Saturday afternoon, we were wrestling with three problems at once, including a fire alarm in the main museum building next door (which could have led to an evacuation of our building) and, worst of all, the news that Neil Pasricha, our speaker for Sunday morning, was violently ill and wouldn’t be able to talk. (Update: This was the third emergency.)
While the attendees were in their workshops, the planning team met in the lobby to come up with an emergency plan. It was awesome to see how we worked together to develop a solution:
That’s Chris G. listening raptly as I make some brilliant suggestion.
I think everyone on the planning team agrees that this was the moment that everything came together: We were acting as one unit toward a shared common purpose. Together, this small group kept the conference on course, and the results were terrific.
Mondo Beyondo
The post-WDS buzz has been amazing. From what I can tell, the conference exceeded everyone’s expectations. It certainly exceeded mine. (I was the resident skeptic on the planning team.) In fact, the World Domination Summit blew me away.
I am not the same man I was two weeks ago. I know this sounds like hyperbole, but it’s true. The summit has given me the courage and conviction to follow my dreams. During a quick two-minute speech last Sunday morning, I talked about the power of yes. But last weekend, I also learned the power of no. I realized it’s okay to decline the things I don’t want to do so that I can pursue the things that matter. (Sort of like conscious spending — but with time and people.)
Jen Lem and Andrea Scher
Also on Sunday morning, Andrea and Jen from Mondo Beyondo gave an interactive and engaging talk. At one point, they had participants pair up to share stories about peak experiences. One partner listened for keywords and repeated them back. The storyteller then chose one to write on her body with permanent marker. (I wrote “inspiration”.)
At the end of their talk, Andrea and Jen had a surprise: Taped to the bottom of every seat in the room was an affirmation. Mine was: You are loved more than you know.
To me, this was the most perfect moment in a perfect weekend. It embodied so much of what I experienced at the World Domination Summit, which wasn’t about dominating the world at all. It was about learning to build my own world — and helping others build theirs.
I’ve been carrying that affirmation with me all week. In fact, it’s by my side right now. Even though my head is filled with big dreams and big ideas, Real Life has already begun to encroach upon my perfect little WDS bubble. But that message — “You are loved more than you know.” — reminds me of the weekend and the things I learned. It keeps me focused.
I’ll be back at next year’s World Domination Summit. In the meantime, I’ll be working hard to make my own world.
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Glad you had a good time!
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“…I believe this is my highest aim: the pursuit of my own happiness.”
Is this really what life is about?
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I’ll admit one of my unanswered questions from the WDS was this: As amazing and inspiring as this journey is on an individual level, what responsibility (responsibilities) do we have to the community (communities) that support(s) us?
We’re deluding ourselves if we think there isn’t a cost to our families and our larger communities in following our dreams and building this world. The omission of a discussion of our responsibility within community was particularly striking considering that one of the major topics that came up over the weekend was “connectedness” (wound up written on a considerable amount of body parts!).
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Surely if our families and other social groups are supporting us for the right reasons, they’re wanting us to be happy? And everything that happiness leads to, all the knock-on effects that make us better human beings for them to deal with?
Instead of “cost”…how about “investment”?
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I think it’s a very fine line.
In my case, I had the opportunity to follow a major dream of mine- to directly work on improving human rights in one of the worst countries in the world- two years ago. And I took it.
It was an amazing experience, and I like to think the world benefitted- if only a little bit- by my choosing to do so, and doing a darn good job while I did.
But like I said above, I think we’re deluding ourselves if we think there isn’t a cost as well as a benefit. The cost to my family (my closest “community”) was huge. My husband had to sell and manage a house on his own (including all the packing up), him and my wider family braced themselves during every news report and tried to hang on and sound stoic every time I called in the middle of a rocket attack… this is tough stuff. To discount it in the name of following your dreams is nigh on irresponsible.
That does *not* mean that we should sacrifice our dreams on the altar of what our families and communities need from us- or what we assume our families/communities need of us.
For a more humourous take on this, I suggest this post from Things Expat Aid Workers Like: http://stuffexpataidworkerslike.com/2011/05/09/54-putting-aid-work-first/
Money quote: “Don’t waste your breath saying that his agency must only believe in child rights for other people’s children, since the only time he sees his own children is when they are sleeping. Don’t bring up that you could use a little family reunification or peace and reconciliation or gender equity program at home. Just don’t even go there.You are missing the point that the EAW is a very important part of world progress.”
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Marsha,
That was a line in this blog that stood out to me. J.D., don’t you think you’ve taken it one step further than the pursuit of your own happiness? I believe once I have myself where I want to be then I can give back to others. For me giving back would be more important than just finding happiness for myself. That being said, you can’t give what you don’t have so if you aren’t living a life of World Domination for yourself, it is tough to give back to others. The past 5 years may have made your life better J.D., but what you have given back through this community has touched the lives of many. I’m glad it was a great conference!
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Marsha, I truly believe that the pursuit of personal happiness is what life is about. I also believe that those who believe otherwise just haven’t looked deep enough into their own motivations and actions. We all make the choices we think will lead to our maximum happiness. In fact, it’s when we don’t make these choices that folks become unhappy and relationships sour and people end up in debt, etc.
There’s a lot of subtlety to this statement, of course. How do you define happiness? What happens when short-term happiness and long-term happiness conflict? How can we be sure what will make us happy? (If you read the happiness research, you’ll see we don’t know what will make us happy.)
Kate, I think you ask a great question about connectedness. As we begin planning for 2012, I’ll see if we can’t address this in some way. My gut reaction is this:
Humans are social creatures. We value our relationships with others. Many of us enjoy helping other people achieve their goals and/or overcome obstacles. In other words, as GRS readers have noted in past discussions of philanthropy, doing good for other people often leads to happiness. Pursuing your own happiness and helping others is not mutually exclusive. Just yesterday, I conceived a cunning plan which would allow me to do something I love while also helping other people. This should let me increase my happiness. Does that make sense?
Andy, I love this: “You can’t give what you don’t have so if you aren’t living a life of World Domination for yourself, it is tough to give back to others.” Well said.
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“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman
The “cost of happiness” reminded me of this quote. You aren’t doing anybody anywhere any good being miserable. Happiness isn’t a solely selfish pursuit… It benefits everyone when the world is full of happy people.
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False dichotomy.
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Happiness is defined by the person, yes? What makes one person happy doesn’t necessarily make another person happy; but it is certainly something to strive for.
Happiness, for many, is about working hard, about giving back, about leaving the world a better place, about being selfish in the most self-less of ways, about being part of something bigger.
Oddly, we judge others when they say, ‘they just want to be happy,’ – first, I think we ought to say, “what is it that makes you happy?” before we judge them (if we judge at all).
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Hey, Peck! It was great meeting you in person at WDS. I wish we could have chatted more. As it is, whenever I hear “Rolling in the Deep” now, I’ll remember wending our way through the parade traffic on our bikes. Good times.
Anyhow — I agree with you and several other commenters: It’s when we ourselves are truly happy that we can best help others achieve the same. It’s sort of like that saying “charity begins at home”, except in this case it’s “happiness begins at home”.
You owe me swimming lessons!
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Personal happiness as the highest aim in life seems to me very shallow and self-centered. Perhaps it’s because “I’m not happy” has been an excuse for people for doing immoral and hurtful things to other people.
Rather than pursue happiness, I work on doing the right thing and serving others. Sometimes, this is very difficult and I’m certainly not happy in the moment, but the long-term satisfaction is immense. I believe that happiness eludes those that chase it, but comes readily to those who live right. My first question before doing anything is “Is this the right thing to do?” not “Will this make me happy?”
BTW, I’m a very happy person, partly by nature and certainly because I’ve worked on having a joyous attitude.
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I think you imply that there are no ethics involved in pursuing happiness or no moral considerations. I don’t believe that. While I agree with the pursuit of happiness, of course I believe in respecting the rights of others and not behaving in ways that harm others in selfish pursuits. I’m definitely not a utilitarian.
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“I also believe that those who believe otherwise just haven’t looked deep enough into their own motivations and actions.”
Now that seems a little unfair. How can you know? It’s unreasonable to say, “I believe this, and anyone who doesn’t agree with me secretly does and just doesn’t know it or won’t acknowledge it.”
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Thank you, Amanda. This is exactly on target.
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Great pull quote.
The responses here aren’t getting at what I think might be the crux of the issue.
Some forms of happiness are more expensive than others. One could argue that by cutting our own happiness levels by 10% (assuming we could measure such a thing), we might be able to double or triple the happiness levels of hundreds of other people who are currently not doing so well.
I run into countless examples of this in my work. On Friday, I heard about research that calculated how we could save millions of dollars in HIV treatment just by giving women with a genital form a schistosomiasis a 30-cent drug once per year. (The schisto increases susceptibility to HIV, and treating schisto is really easy.) In the meantime, the cost of my going out for a beer to socialize with friends (an alleged requisite of my happiness) runs $5-15/week. I could instead be ameliorating extraordinary suffering. Same holds if I cut back on my travel. JD, these are examples of potentially “mutually exclusive” forms of happiness. I want to go out with my friends, and I want to help people avoid intense suffering. Which do I want more?
Adages to the contrary, the choice isn’t between making ourselves miserable or making ourselves happy. The choice is how much we try to negotiate and rethink what makes us happy, and this almost always involves personal and social tension. Of course, people who are less concerned with others get to bypass these conflicts entirely.
To me, all goodness comes from treating others as we would treat ourselves. We no longer live in a world of scattered, remote villages; all of our actions have far-reaching consequences for people we will not meet. This is a hard fact to stomach, but it’s not an excuse to value ourselves or our immediate network above all. It’s especially not an excuse not to question what it is that really makes us happy–and what the tradeoffs are.
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I agree, this is an astonishing statement. Perhaps it’s simply the phrasing that bothers me, though. From what JD has said, I think he means that pursuing what you love to do means finding the way you can best serve the world.
But yeah, to phrase it as a matter of personal happiness sounds selfish, and to some extent foolish. I think Eleanor Roosevelt said it best:
“Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product. Paradoxically, the one sure way not to be happy is deliberately to map out a way of life in which one would please oneself completely and exclusively.”
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Yes.
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I want to pass along my thanks to you, J.D. for passing along word about this conference back in early 2011. As one of the apparently few readers who doesn’t follow Chris’ blog, I wouldn’t have known about it save for your post on the topic.
So thanks!
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For those that attended – do you feel renewed and empowered – or do you have a lot of angst to make a change and more frustration with your version of “now”?
… based on pics I think I would have to greatly increase my hipster wardrobe to attend
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I definitely feel renewed and empowered. There was a very particular buzz and vibe over the weekend- one of genuine excitement and possibility. I’m far more practiced, at home, at dealing in the practical reasons we can’t do something than in closing my eyes, taking a leap of faith, and imagining how they can be.
Rather than feeling frustrated, it left me feeling much happier and at peace with where I am now. Saying “no that won’t work” to everything is exhausting and can make me more than a little down on the state of the world. Dwelling in possibility? Totally refreshing. Having built a network of people I can turn to when I need to hear “yes, you can- it’s totally possible”, also refreshing.
I’m not a blogger or an entrepreneur, and definitely not a hipster (the photos you saw don’t include the woman in hospital scrubs, the many in jeans and t-shirts [including me], J.D in his shorts etc.). This is not my natural crowd. But it was really neat to be with a group of people who all came for completely different reasons and all had neat stories to tell- and were as interested in hearing mine as they were in sharing theirs.
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To be honest, I didn’t really feel like I fit in at WDS.
Attendees were mostly 20- and 30-somethings who wanted to “change the world” in some way. Several attendees identified themselves as life coaches, artists, etc.
I was waiting in line for registration and was talking with another attendee about passive income. He said, “Oh, like parking lots?” I said, no, I focus on Internet businesses, but I’d definitely be interested in reading more about parking lots and how I can buy some for passive income, as that’s a route I haven’t explored at all. He replied, “Oh, well, if money is your thing…”
From that point on I felt really distant from the attendees. I’m building a business to change the world, but I’m also motivated to make tens of millions of dollars. When I go to business conferences, I see that spark, but I didn’t see it as much at this conference.
I will say the conference was extremely well put together and several of the speakers (Pam Slim and John T. Unger in particular) were quite good. And I was grateful to meet so many readers who really enjoy my blog.
But I really did feel it was more about feel-good “motivation” than anything else. It’s probably fair to say this just isn’t my tribe.
-Erica
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Eek, why didn’t I meet you at WDS, Erica! There were a few of us at WDS interested in topics like that, and we even mentioned amongst ourselves the lack of discussion on marketing, business models, etc. (At least on the first day, once we got the feel of the conference we knew what to expect.)
There was some talk on those topics *around* the conference, though. There were informal late-night meetings in bars, with people describing specifics of what worked in their business. My most promising action-step from the conference came from those discussions, not the conference sessions.
That said, the people at WDS were fantastic and I made several new friends, all at various levels of business/project development. I hope we’ll keep in touch through the year and share insights on what’s working / not working in our businesses. I already plan to be back next year.
Sorry I missed you, sounds like you would’ve been a fascinating person to talk to with an interesting story!
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That’s really good feedback – I definitely would have gone if I didn’t live in Asia. I’m more like you – motivated by building a successful (and potentially beneficial) enterprise. I tend to leave industry conferences super-energized, but then do get into quite a bit of angst because I don’t yet have “my own thing.”
I’m afraid that if I told people what I do and get passionate about they would give the same “oh, if you’re into money” reaction. Honestly, if I heard something like that – I would probably judge them just as quickly as they had judged me.
Feedback for future planners (JD?) – concurrent tracks next year, including an “enterprise” track, that features entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and targeted networking.
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I’d say mostly renewed & empowered, but there’s also a little frustration/urgency in there. I think it’s a good frustration, a recognition that the path I’m currently on isn’t quite where I want to be, and that some changes are required.
I don’t think you can go skydiving and bungee jumping in the same week, meet 500 incredible people, and not think “Wow, I’ve been holding myself back, what else can I achieve that I didn’t think I was capable of…”
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I have a love / hate relationship with these kinds of self-help seminars. On the one hand, I spent years and years and thousands of dollars on books and seminars that I couldn’t really afford. I was a self-help junkie as defined here:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/bog/2007/04/self-help-junkies/
(See also Barbara Ehrenreich’s book “Bright-Sided”).
I do find this attitude of avoidance of “naysayers” and the cult of self a bit creepy and somewhat immature. Maybe it’s a good thing taken too far.
Having said that, the last seminar I took was in 2005 or 2006. I experienced a mental shift there that actually did shift my external world radically and my income quadrupled within 4 years from that change in perspective – and I enjoyed my work immensely more, which was actually the greater value. And that wasn’t focused on what *I* got out of it, I focused a lot more on how I could contribute to others right where I was, right in that boring cubicle job that collectively we made fun. So in that sense, that seminar was the best investment I’ve ever made. The trick to me is finding something that’s not just feel-good affirmations that you find under your chair like a fortune cookie and “go get ‘em tiger” rah-rah rhetoric.
Bottom line is what’s the bottom line ROI on the seminar – if your life has measurably changed a year – or five years – after attending, then it’s worth it. If you need to go back every year for a booster shot? Mmm, I don’t know. If you don’t experience measurable, tangible results, maybe the seminar just isn’t good enough. Hopefully this one was.
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Sounds like fun! I too have arrived at the conclusion that I have lived my life for the (important!) people around me but now I need to do some things for myself because I am very over developed in some areas but puny and weak in others. It’s time to find some balance and that will mean having to leave my comfort zone ….
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You’d have to make your own world to consider Jai Hai to be a Bollywood song. Slum Dog Millionaire is NOT a Bollywood movie. It’s a Hollywood movie filmed in India to make hipster Americans feel like they’re “in the know”.
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The Bollywood dance break was led by DJ Prashant, who chose the song. It was fun. I’m sure he’s well aware of “Jai Ho”‘s origins. I’m also sure he understands that the origins of the song aren’t the point…
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It’s not a Hollywood movie either, it’s British.
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Bleh…I get the point, but I think you can take this too far. I have great respect for people who work regular jobs. The guys that pick up garbage, re-surface roads, build houses etc do extremely important work. More important I would say than what I do in my white-collar job. Yes, I work in a cubicle, but I support myself and my family and I consider that no small thing.
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I can’t get over the ridiculous name. It sounds like a conference for comic book villains.
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Sounds like a youth church retreat for grownups… I always left those things feeling ready to take over the world.
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Nunuvut is a territory not a province, so if he has been everywhere else he has seen every province. No quibbling required.
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I know. Little inside joke between me and Chris Guillebeau. It amuses me to think of him doing a stop on his book tour in Nunavut.
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Nunavut is actually very interesting, and a good starting point for a trip to Greenland, which is even more interesting.
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Being a Portlander, I considered going to World Domination Summit. However, I already feel like I’m living the life I want. I work 16 hours a week in a well paid and enriching job as a labor and delivery nurse, I am raising my teenage sons and having fun doing that, I write a blog that connects me with thousands of daily readers and I still have time to get together with friends, tinker with my house and goof around.
I look forward to hearing about The WDS in person from my friends who went, and maybe even catching a bit of the energizing buzz they all seem to have caught.
Oh, and the other thing, I am, WAAAAY too cheap to have ever forked out the hundreds of dollars it cost to attend.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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Looked like an amazing event. Also amazed to see the level of prep involved. Sometimes you forget about all the hard work that goes into things like this. Hopefully I can come next year.
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The pursuit of one’s own happiness IS what life is about. I agree with JD 100% on that.
For those who don’t “get it” try reading Harry Browne’s book “How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World”. It will blow your mind.
You can find it here:
http://vishaldevgon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/freedom_in_an_unfree_world.pdf
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, I’ll finish “How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World” today. I don’t agree with Browne’s politics (well, I agree with some of them), but I agree with 95% of everything else he says. He’s articulated much of what I’ve been thinking over the past few years. And he’s given me courage to stand up for my own interests. To be reading this book and experiencing the World Domination Summit at the same time was life changing.
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Wow, how cool is that? Glad you were able to read it. I love how it basically allow you to do what is best for YOU, which in turn really allows you to do your best for others. If you aren’t 100% wanting to do something for someone else you will not give it your all and may resent them for doing “it” whatever it is.
I also love the way he spells out that there is ALWAYS options to a particular problem, but each option has a price. Some prices are worth paying though.
J
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It’s is so true, J.D. I truly agree with you. When you are happy, you can give happiness to others. To give more, you have to become more and have more.
When you are pursuing your own happiness, you are infact giving happiness to others, because you are happy all the time. And happy people always give.
Unhappy and poor people are there because of their own choices and habits.
I have also learnt, as I have grown, that if I follow my own happiness, I bring joy to others. It’s when I always try to think about others and do for them and try to make them happy all the time, that’s when I have found being unhappy the most becuase of their poor actions.
It sounds selfish but that what I have found to be true.
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Happy people bring joys to others?
This quote “Unhappy and poor people are there because of their own choices and habits” didn’t make me too happy.
While many of us make excuses for our suffering, I don’t believe unhappiness and poverty only exists because of our choices anymore than happiness and wealth are due entirely to our own efforts.
I didn’t choose to be born in the wealthiest nation in the world to parents with good genes.
A child dying of starvation in an Indian slum did not choose his lot either.
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I agree with you Pamela. I also was troubled by that statement. It sounds naive and/or self-serving.
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I’d like to second Pamela’s statements. The sentiments that focus soley on the individual minimalize and even erase the larger structural elements that create poverty for entire populations of people. For example, slavery, trafficking, segregation, genocide, institutionalized racism and sexism that influence public policies affecting education, business, and other opportunities.
Certainly, individuals can make the best of horrific circumstances, but it’s still a mistake to overlook the larger systems that affect people’s circumstances.
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J.D.: You guys and gals did an awesome job (awesome seem to be the word of the summit). Having put on several events in my day, the beauty of it all is to see how much the people enjoy it and think…everything went off without a hitch (perception is reality and #WDS pushed us to build our own and have the two match).
I am glad I decided to come from the East Coast to be a part of this. I’m working on a summary of my experience to share with the folks and have already signed up for WDS part 2.
Your Ambassador,
Mike Bruny
“Run the Point (Take Action) from where you are, with what you have.”
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Reading through these comments, I wonder if something many of us know about Chris was taken for granted. One of the reasons I admire Chris is his constant emphasis on, “where much is given, much is expected.”
I personally attended because he personally was organizing the event…and also to meet some phenomenal people I knew online. But I spoke to many people who told me bluntly that they don’t follow Chris. I wonder if the thread of service could have been stronger. It’s such an integral part of his narrative, so, as I said, I took it for granted.
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@Kevin: I have a friend. He’s the guy behind the wheel of a snowplow for 14 hour stretches during our lovely Ohio winters. He is also a huge proponent of rail, which he supports with a great deal of his free time and energy, and he works tirelessly for political candidates that he believes in. It was a poignant moment watching him tear up when our county went blue for the first time in many years.
He’s a guy with a regular job, but he’s changing the world. They’re not mutually exclusive concepts.
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I agree with you. In fact it was my intent to illustrate the importance of people with regular jobs. I know that in your example you mentioned a person doing good work outside his job. My point was that regular work is important. These conferences often talk about breaking free of that. I’m just saying you don’t really need to break free.
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I’m taken aback by the negativity and judgement I read in these comments.
I was there. I’m 47 and about as non-hipster as a person can get. What I found was an amazing gathering of people from all backgrounds and life experiences who were open and brave and creative and interesting and loving in all the best ways.
Personal happiness was definitely a key topic, but every time it was mentioned it lead to the point that humans are meant to serve, that none of us will ever feel truly happy and fulfilled if we aren’t serving others and giving back in some way.
This wasn’t a “feel-good” or “cult of self” event. It was filled with people who have a great deal to give to make this world a better place. And a large percentage of them are out there actually doing something concrete in an attempt to do so, not just talking about it, or talking about how someone else should do something.
I loved that total strangers were encouraging and empowering each other, instead of what I’ve seen too much of elsewhere and in some of the comments here: negativity, criticism, dragging people down, judging them without even knowing what they’re about, the path they’ve walked, or what they’re striving for. It’s too bad we’re taught to label people and events so we can more easily dismiss them.
Chris, the presenters, and the volunteer team that shaped this event are amazing people, doing amazing work in the world. They’re building the future I know I want to see and be part of.
My dreams for my own life suddenly started becoming a reality as soon as I made the commitment to attend WDS, months before I arrived in Portland. I’d been preparing for decades, but I could no longer tolerate just thinking about “someday” and started taking concrete steps.
The week before WDS my world pivoted, I quit my job on mutually agreable terms with my boss, and I left WDS free, inspired, open to incredible possibilities, and ready for a very different future. And I am working hard to build that future, not goofing off and expecting anyone else to pick up the slack for me as some of the commenters above implied.
My happiness is about truly being of service to others by helping make their dreams of business success a reality using the skills I learned the hard way over 25 years in a corporate world where I felt trapped every single day. – I don’t judge people who have “regular jobs” as one commenter put it. And no one else at WDS did either.
Most of us at WDS have worked at and been miserable in “regular jobs” and thus are motivated to try something different, but no one criticized those that are content with that path. And no one suggested that their families and loved ones should just support them so they could goof off. Nor were people uncaring about their communities. I would bet there were a HIGH percentage of people there who are volunteers and who give a great deal back to their chosen communities in one way or another.
The point is: the people who came found that their greatest happiness, and their greatest value to the world, is something they are exploring and discovering and it is unique to them. They will work harder to “make it” their own way than anyone in a “regular job” because there is no path for them, no steady paycheck, no benefits, and very little support or respect in our culture for those who live outside the mainstream.
Thank you, J.D, for everything you did for this inaugural WDS!
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Loved this post.
Just signed up to get emails about the conference next year.
So awesome.
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Great post and looks like an inspiring WD Summit. Just today I heard from a friend that said, “I did not do anything, you know there’s no excitement in my life.” To which I countered, “You have to go out and create that excitement if excitement is what you want.” Excitement, fun, success, happiness are all there for the taking. The hardest part is just finding what motivates each individual to get up “off the couch” so-to-speak and go get it.
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I have been reading this blog for quite some time and have been feeling less and less motivated to do so of late. The blog seems to be moving farther from personal finance and more to self discovery. While this is fine, as it is your blog to do with as you wish, my idea of self discovery is very different from yours and I don’t come to the blog to learn about such things. You might want to change the about portion of the blog to more clearly indicate this new drift.
Thank you.
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Sounds like you guys had a great time JD! Awesome to see y’all have so much fun. Maybe next year!
Best, Sam
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I used to live for what I thought others wanted. I did what was expected of me. But more and more, I’m doing what I want. So long as I’m not abridging the freedom of others, I believe this is my highest aim: the pursuit of my own happiness.
EXTREMELY well said! And it’s been not yet five years, only three so far for me, but I keep working on it and it does get better all the time!
Thanks so much for writing this blog, it remains one of my favorites not just for the great discussions about money.
EDIT: After having read the discussion, I can attest that the people around me are happier too when I feel happy. Am I selfish at points? Yes, necessarily. As long as my surrounding can live with it, we’re all happier together. It’s always about balance, but when you’re stuck in unhappiness, you’ve got no energy and drive to give to that balance, you’re much more likely to pull the world around you down to your level of misery so that you can all be unhappy together.
As I realized lately, BTW, money isn’t about security but about possibilities for me, and I’m profoundly unhappy if I don’t have the money to do something with (anything from paying our car repairs and food to vacationing and self-improvement). So I’m happier with more money but it’s about being happy by doing what I want to do, and giving to the people I want to support. If it were JUST about the money, I’d sit on my (non-existing) pile of savings like Dagobert Duck.
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Thank you for the “power of NO” comment. I am hitting the reset button this week with the purpose of learning to make my plans a priority. I have been giving myself, my time, my skills away for so long that the “yes” habit has kept me from pursuing my dreams. Changing that right now! RESET!
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Sounds like a fun weekend.
It’s not really my cup of tea – I have all the motivation I need, what I’m short of is time!!
Regardless, nothing wrong with a bunch of like-minded individuals getting together and doing fun stuff.
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i just LOVE that you got that card.
so good.
blessings to you J.D.!
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Hi J.D.
I am so sorry I missed this. I am a follower of yours, Leo’s and Chris’s. It would be awesome to work with all of you at once!
Glad you had a good time…. count me in for next year!
Karen
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So bummed I didn’t get a chance to talk to you at WDS! Hope our paths cross again soon!
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Seems like it was a great time with inspiring people… by the sounds of it, I wish that I could have been there.
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I know I’m late to the game here JD, but I’m hoping you’ll address this comment anyway.
Does this “pursuit of happiness” rule out certain activities you don’t enjoy doing, but realize MIGHT have a positive impact on your life/business long-term. Every activity is not as black and white (for me anyway).
I have a couple things in mind, that I don’t really enjoy doing, but could improve my business long term. These activities do push me to address some weaknesses so they do have some benefit short-term, but I’m wondering if that is outweighed by the negativity I feel toward them. Part of me also says “stop being lazy and just do it”. As you can see it is really hard to figure out if these things are really worthwhile or not.
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Hey thanks for finding and using my chalk art! More so for being inspired by it.
I tried to ignore the chalk drawing but Jolie called me out and I’m so glad she did. That was totally spontaneous but it really does sum it up for me too.
As one of the older attendees I didn’t expect to be so changed by the summit but it blew me away. My faith in humanity is restored thanks to all of you that made it happen!
I will be writing about it a lot, but here is my first stab at it.
http://wp.me/p1629W-LG
BTW thanks for linking me up there but that is a really old site. I should probably make it go away but I like the posts.
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The “fortune” you got is so perfect for you.
Mine had a big impact on me as well – I have it hanging up right here in my office “You are meant to be a changemaker. Embrace your future”.
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sounds like it was awesome. I’ve been reading some books by Daniel Pink – I wonder if his topics would fit with the overall theme of the Summit…
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Though I live in Portland, I somehow missed that this was taking place. I guess I don’t run in the “right” circles. I would like to experience it before forming an opinion in either direction. I’m glad you guys had a great time!
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Personal happiness as the highest aim in life seems to me very shallow and self-centered. Perhaps it’s because “I’m not happy” has been an excuse for people for doing immoral and hurtful things to other people.
Rather than pursue happiness, I work on doing the right thing and serving others. Sometimes, this is very difficult and I’m certainly not happy in the moment, but the long-term satisfaction is immense. I believe that happiness eludes those that chase it, but comes readily to those who live right. My first question before doing anything is “Is this the right thing to do?” not “Will this make me happy?”
BTW, I’m a very happy person, partly by nature and certainly because I’ve worked on having a joyous attitude.
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