Monday, October 14, 2013

BlissDom Canada, you've literally blown my mind

A little over a week has now passed since the end of BlissDom Canada 2013. This year, more than others, I had a tough time processing everything I learned and experienced over the weekend. Last week, when I returned to the “real world,” I felt very vulnerable. Silly things like commercials or photos I’d see online would cause me to well up far more often than they normally would.

Over the past week and a bit, I’ve not felt very articulate. I’ve started this post many times and have several unfinished versions in my draft folder. If I’m honest, I don’t know if I have the words to describe the change that I’ve been experiencing. I do know though, that those drafts are going to find their way onto these pages in the coming weeks. This particular BlissDom Canada weekend has inspired far more than one post from me this year.

So this isn’t really a wrap up of what happened to me over the weekend, that will come later on. I see this post as a jumping off point for me as I continue to make some changes in my life. For the sake of brevity, I’m going to leave you with three of the many lessons I learned:

1. I have already started making changes in my life. I attended Gillian Duffy’s “Taking that First Step” micro session as I was looking for inspiration to change. I had met Gillian last year at BlissDom Canada and so admired how she was able to box up her life in Canada and follow her bliss around the world. What I discovered during the micro session was that I was already actively making changes in my own life. Speaking with Gillian and the other participants made me realize that I too was being courageous and was actively working to improve things in my own life.

2.It’s okay to say no. The hands on workshop entitled “CHANGE: What Do You Stand For?” with Jennifer Hunter and Tania Carriere reinforced something for me that was very important. Jennifer & Tania reminded me that there are things you need to say “no” to, to leave room for the “yeses.” I don’t think I’m alone in not wanting to say no. I like to think that I am competent, confident and capable. Somewhere along the line, I think I told myself that saying no was equal to admitting I was weak. On some level I knew that this wasn’t true but hearing Jennifer & Tania state it was like a slap in the face and I realized that it’s absolutely okay to say “no” sometimes.

3.Leadership is not how much money you make or what your title is. I feel like I could write an entire book on the things I took away from Drew Dudley’s closing keynote. One of things that resonated most with me was the idea that “Leadership is not how much money you make or what your title is.” Drew was right when he said that most of us don’t want to identify ourselves as being leaders and yet, we are. There was a lot of talk about the power of kindness over the weekend. Personally, I’m trying to be kinder and it’s not always easy to do. Doing positive things for ourselves and for those around us, especially when they aren’t aware that we are doing them, is very rewarding.

Thank you BlissDom Canada, for once again rocking my world and blowing my mind. Thank you to the speakers who inspired me. Thank you to the friends I have made through BlissDom Canada for listening to me, for sharing your stories, for making me laugh, smile and sometimes cry. Thank you, most of all, to the amazing BlissDom Canada team (not to mention their generous sponsors) for doing all of the heavy lifting and creating something really very special and uniquely Canadian.

6 comments:

ShashersLife said...

<3 Peggy you are one of the ones I look for each year, your smile is contagious and your energy keeps me going. :) xxoo

The Animated Woman said...

Hi Peggy! Three great takeaways fo sho. I wanted to thank-you for saying hi to me. I wasn't sure if you remembered me from last year :D

Peggy said...

Thanks Shannon!! It was so nice that one of the first faces I saw upon arriving at the hotel this year was yours!! I cannot thank you enough for everything you and Jennifer and your team do for us!

Peggy said...

Hi JC!! It was great to see you again, it's so funny because I didn't think you'd remember me from last year either!!

Gillian said...

Thanks so much Peggy - you've made my day!! I really enjoyed catching up with you this year. My favourite part of the micro sessions was the conversations after I told my story. Hearing what other people are harbouring as they shared their dreams was amazing. Most, like you, realized that they are actually further down the path than they thought (Yay!). Best of luck to you this year - I'll be following along and cheering!

Heather said...

Peggy, your post really resonates with me. I too felt vulnerable after Blissdom. I was surprised by this. I thought after this conference I would have felt elated, driven and focused. I struggled all week with my feelings but soon realized I had to come down from the high. I am taking each day one step at a time. I recently quit my corporate job to pursue my dream of being an entrepreneur. The hardest part is reconciling that it doesn't happen all at once. Your post made me feel that I wasn't alone. Thanks for this.:) I wish you success and happiness!