I spent last weekend in Portland, OR attending the World Domination Summit. It is, without a doubt, my favorite conference to attend and quite possibly, one of the greatest weekend conferences available today.
I attend each year for the community—the people motivate me, help me, and change me. I enjoyed great food and wonderful conversations with friends, both old and new.
But I also attend WDS for the amazing speakers and inspiration. The conference is built on community, adventure, and service. Each speaker contributes to one of the three themes. Through the years, WDS speakers have changed me in significant ways. This year was no different.
There are numerous blog posts written that contain detailed notes from each of the presentations. But I wanted to personally record the insights I gleaned during the weekend. Each of the speakers live a remarkable life in his or her own way—and I have much to learn from them.
These insights represent the specific motivation that was resonating in my heart during each of the 11 presentations. I include them here in this public forum to remind myself of the lessons learned and to challenge each of us to live bold lives.
11 Bold Steps Taken by Remarkable People
1. Go big. Remarkable people dream big dreams for their lives. They do not settle for mediocrity or unintentionality. They refuse to settle for excuses. They stand up, step out, and get moving. They understand it is “easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.” Inspiration: A.J. Jacobs
2. Declare their dreams. There is significant power in bold declarations. Speaking our hopes and dreams move them into the physical world where they begin to take substance—and result in increased accountability. While not every next step will be taken perfectly, sharing your dreams often brings the motivation to begin taking action. And imperfect action is always better than inaction. Inspiration: Jadah Sellner
3. Use their talents. We are beautifully and wonderfully made with talents and gifts and potential. Remarkable people believe this to be true of themselves and others. And when they do, they find great joy and peace in the lives they have been given. They work to develop their talents. And they look for opportunities to make the most of them. Inspiration: Gavin Aung Than
4. Speak their voice. Each of our voices are distinct and deserve to be heard. We need all different types of voices to offer hope and life to our world. Remarkable people do not silence their voice or change it to sound like all the others. Instead, they find it, embrace it, and use it for good. Inspiration: Shannon Galpin
5. Identify lifestyle drift and realign. Unintentionality will always derail a remarkable life. The world is full of distractions and temptations. As a result, those who do not take the time to align their lives with their greatest purpose will never fully realize it. Instead, their lives drift into mediocrity. People who live remarkable lives routinely check their momentum and their motivation—keeping both in a proper place. Inspiration: Michael Hyatt
6. Choose the path of greatest contribution. Most people choose the easy route—the path of least resistance is well-worn at both work and home. But remarkable people choose a different path. They choose the route of greatest contribution and greatest significance. They know it will require hard work and dedication. They know it will be lonely at times. But they are moved forward by their desire for contribution. Inspiration: Saki Mafundikwa
7. Remove distraction. Money and entertainment and leisure call for our attention. Distractions surface on televisions, computers, billboards, and magazines. People who live remarkable lives seek to remove them—ruthlessly. When the mediocre has been removed, excellence remains. Inspiration: Dee Williams
8. Be bothered. Our world is full of injustice. Children and women and even entire civilizations are often mistreated by those who abuse their power. People who accomplish remarkable things take notice and allow injustice to move them. They do not ignore it. They do not excuse it. They choose to stand against it. Inspiration: John Francis
9. Dare to attempt. Nobody avoids failure their entire lives. But not everybody is defined by it. Remarkable lives are accomplished by those who dare to attempt regardless of the outcome. And when failure occurs, they dare to attempt again. Inspiration: Elise Blaha Cripe
10. Do the work. Living a remarkable life takes effort and work. It requires a conscious decision to consume less and create more. The days are short and our years pass quickly. Those who want to create something remarkable choose to spend their precious hours doing the work and contributing to the world around them. Inspiration: Scott Berkun
11. Never give up their power of choice. The only people who can change the world are people who want to. And not everybody does. The power of choice can never be taken from us. We may not be able to change our circumstance, but we can always choose our response to it. In life, to live is to retain the power of choice. Remarkable people know this and choose wisely. Inspiration: John Jantsch
Be bold. Be remarkable.
Image: Chris Guillebeau
About Joshua Becker
Great piece @Joshua
Great write up at Joshua.
Very inspiring posts! It took a lot for me to be tactful,I used to be silent when something bothering me but I learned the hard way and it’s not bad to be outspoken sometimes.
Thank you! Your short descriptions of the “bold steps taken by remarkable people”, spoke volumes!
Rules 9 & 11 were especially resonating with me today. Thank you.
Thanks Cousin Joshua! Loved the post.
AJ
Thanks for stopping by Cousin AJ. I hope the Family Reunion is even more amazing than you can possibly imagine.
Hi Joshua!
It’s incredible how many powerful posts like yours I’ve come across just this week. It’s been one of the hardest weeks of my life as my relationship with the person I love the most is being questioned. It’s been a time of deep reflection, one that was most definitely needed.
I love the idea of living an intentional life and the point on “Unintentionality will always derail a remarkable life” lit a fire inside of me.
Thank you so much for your continued words of encouragement!
It’s great to see so many people connecting with “being bothered.” Injustice should make us uncomfortable, that is not something to shy away from – it’s what motivates us to act.
I also really like how you summarized Michael Hyatt’s talk because I think intentionality is key to living a life that’s better for ourselves and for the world around us.
100% agree that WDS is one of the greatest weekend conferences around today. It’s pretty incredible. My husband and I had the chance be volunteer Ambassadors for the first time this year, and it was worth every minute!
I love this site and never miss reading one. Today’s message is wonderful but I think some people just don’t know how to be bold or remarkable. I think I’m one.
Some people just can’t seem to motivate themselves.
I don’t believe that there is anyone who can’t be remarkable. Everyone has been given a purpose and has a passion for something that is important to them. I think that there are two things that stand in people’s way of recognizing their passion, lack of exposure and too many distractions. It’s difficult to know you’re passionate about something if you haven’t been exposed to it (e.g., you won’t know that you’re passionate about helping orphans in Ghana unless you have been exposed to them) so if that’s the case I would make a point to start trying different experiences. This would include doing something that you have never done that is completely outside of your normal routine. Additionally, I think that we can be so caught up in being too busy that we don’t take the time to relax and just enjoy the quiet things of life. I’ve found that once you schedule sometime each week to just relax and not run around you start to reflect on your life and the things that make you happy. By clearing some of the clutter from our schedule we can clear it from our minds and that will help us start to identify our passions and things that make us happy.
#8 — Be bothered. That’s mine, Joshua. :) –I hate injustice and suffering. On a daily basis, I hurt deeply for children and animals that are abused. I am only one person…and do the right things in my life. My children and rescue pets are loved and very well taken care of. My purpose…or so I believe…is to pray for law enforcement. I tell God that I know there will always be suffering, but I ask Him to help the police to catch the perpetrators and put them behind bars. Every time I hear that a child pornography ring or something of the like has been busted and some idiot is brought to justice, I praise God! When someone says—“Where was God?!” I say He is in the hearts of those who care and put these predators in prison. Sorry to say—but then the other prisoners seek a little justice themselves.
I’m surrounded by remarkable people who are trying hard, in spite of great adversity, to reform our local animal control to save the lives of the animals and for the betterment of the community. These 11 points are powerful and I look forward to sharing with this dedicated group of people. Thank you!
I love #8 — Be bothered.
This is something that it hits close to home for me, and the reason I started Unfiltered.
Taken from our About page:
“We believe the internet is an obfuscated lens which we hope to be seen through. It’s the staged version of us that we tragically spend most of our time creating.
We’re tired of living this way, and decided to do something about it. This blog was created with one thing in mind. Being unfiltered.”
So like you suggested, Joshua, against inauthenticity — we’re choosing to stand against it.
The point about ‘being bothered’ really spoke to me. So many times I have noticed something that really bothered me, but I decided not to say anything because it felt like too much of an effort or I didn’t want to rock the boat.
But the point is that these situations occur in our life so we can take action for or against them. It is sent to us for a reason. So instead of averting our eyes and pretending nothing’s happening, we should take a stand. It requires a lot of courage (sweaty palms and racing hearts), but it will be worth it in the end, when you can look at yourself in the mirror and be proud that for once you didn’t just look away.
Having recently downsized, purged about 80% of my belongings and redirected my life this article resonates as if I were standing next the big bell at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris! Powerful stuff. Call to action!!