{leaving Salt Lake City, from the plane}
I’m home from Salt Lake City, where I spent 5 days soaking in so much more at Alt Summit than I even expected. The amount of talent, drive and creativity in the group of women (and a few men) there was almost overwhelming. I was on inspiration overload, racing from session to session all day long and then crashing late at night from exhaustion. There’s no quick way to sum up the thoughts that have been swirling around in my mind since I returned, so I thought I’d share a few “big picture” thoughts today and then come back tomorrow for some silly shots and fun details and gossip. I’m sure you’re all dying to know which of the four all-white outfits I packed made the final cut, right?!
So many people at the conference have grabbed onto their dreams and worked to make them come true. Heads of companies, entrepreneurs, bloggers, motivational speakers…these are people who had a spark of an idea, took huge risks to pursue or create opportunities, and who work hard, every single day, at something they love and are passionate about. Ben Silbermann, the creator of Pinterest, literally brought me to tears with his passionate idealism and his story of how he walked away from a great job at Google to create an online tool that in just one short year has totally changed the way many of us interact online. If you want more of Ben’s back story, this article does a great job of retelling some of the major points. Here are some of his words that really struck me:
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If you don’t bet on yourself, no one will.
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Even if you don’t have a specific plan, being close to people who inspire you is a really good idea.
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Make one thing perfect.
He also described living constantly at the intersection of terror and joy. As I thought about this later, I realized that I’m not living in that space. Not even close.
Friends and family have been asking me what I got out of Alt Summit. I’ve responded with fairly standard answers: new friends, ideas to improve blog format, content and function, and new skills (especially Photoshop and photography). What I realized shortly after getting to Utah, though, is that I’m stuck. I don’t know what I want in the “big picture.” I’m not sure what I want from this blog. I’m not sure what my career dreams are, long term. More and more people I admire are literally creating jobs from the ground up, not settling for traditional roles of sales, marketing, business, store owner, but coming up with hybrid roles that use talent and skill to serve an unmet need in a new, exciting way. Seeing so many ideas and concepts is almost paralyzing. It’s too much goodness.
I’ll be taking time for myself in the coming months to sit with this, to brainstorm and to focus. What are my skills? What is “my brand”? Where is this site going? What do you think of when you think of me? Of my posts? (Seriously, I’m open to your ideas, by email or by comment. Sometimes others see you in a way you aren’t able to view yourself.)
This blog was created when I went after one small dream I had last year, to go back to school for graduate education. It was a class project, and after starting it I realized I loved having a writing outlet again. And maybe this will lead to other, bigger dreams… business opportunities? More time interacting with groups of book-lovers or sharing my knowledge with them? A chance to write for others? Or even a larger, scarier dream… a book of my own someday? I’m not sure but I’m excited to find out.
{the view from our room- stunning}
I’m always open to thoughts, advice or your experiences if you’d like to share! There is so much to learn from all of you.
This speaks directly to my heart and how I feel about opportunities in the future. Best of luck on your self reflection.
Thank you for stopping by, and for your comment. I appreciate it
Hey there! So nice meeting you too! Hope our paths cross again soon!
xo,
Brooke
I think about this all the time as well. With 2 little ones under foot, I bought myself some time to figure out what I want in my future but at this point I still have no idea! Going from the traditional investment banking house to a stay-at-home mom was just a shift in gears that I am not sure I will ever be able to go back to a 8-5 desk job again! And I certainly want to be inspired to go to work every day so the bar is quite high indeed. It will be fun to see what you come up with
Thank you- I can’t imagine making that huge type of change! I agree, though- I also want to be inspired everyday. I have that at my job but want more on top of that (more, more, more!)
…”living constantly at the intersection of terror and joy”… I saw this on twitter and reading it again here, puts it in a new light… and makes me realize that I’m no where close either.
My goals have been slightly reversed, I guess you could say. I worked in a job I loved, with people that I loved… moving my way rather quickly up the ladder to a position that I didn’t expect to achieve until years later. But the problem was that my entire life was work… 2 kids, and no balance.
I literally never took time out to experience/learn HOW to live outside of work (and my son was already 8 at that point), so for me- the past few years- the blog- has been more of an attempt to live life at home- with no ‘means to an end’… which sounds entirely simplistic, but for me- it’s something that I’ve never done before- an entirely new way of thinking… but a necessary- just right for me- one for the time being.
So, that’s where I’m at! I do know entirely how you feel. I have so many similar feelings in regards to my life in general as of late (our home, where we live, how we live, number of children, ……….).
Very cool that you (and so many others) were so inspired by alt… and even though you don’t/won’t have all of the answers, at least you’re asking the question… letting the wheels spin (as slow as the process can sometimes be!)…
(did i actually just use the word “entirely” 3 times in one comment??
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I am simultaneously trying to get better at enjoying the moment, while also having some bigger dreams I’m working toward. I like what you wrote…”at least you’re asking the question.” That’s pretty much as far as I’ve gotten!