Portland – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Chris Guillebeau of "The Art of Non-Conformity" and creator of the World Domination Summit. Photo: Armosa Studios / Chris Guillebeau — Chris Guillebeau of “The Art of Non-Conformity” and creator of the World Domination Summit. Photo: Armosa Studios / Chris Guillebeau

inspiration [inspəˈrāSHən], noun: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative

A few months ago I was feeling fairly blah in my job. As a statistical analyst in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis research, there’s always something new to learn, but a sense of complacency seemed to seep into my day-to-day work spirit. What if there were other paths to take? If there are many people travelling the world and making a living abroad, or even while doing the 9 to 5, then surely I could work my way toward a similar goal, right? I took to the interwebs, and perhaps I Googled how to not conform because somehow I landed upon a book called The Art of Non-Conformity, by Chris Guillebeau. The premise: don’t live your life the way others expect. It’s something that I know logically, but reading this book re-emphasized that I really could do what my heart desired, even if that meant having to take an unconventional approach. I highly recommend the read! By happenstance, I stumbled upon an event in Portland, Oregon called The World Domination Summit (WDS), also created by Chris. It’s a bold title. I didn’t really know what it was about, but it looked awesome! So I signed up. Continue reading “World Domination Summit: An Inspiration Punch to the Face”

Jadah Sellner of Simple Green Smoothies. Photo: Armosa Studios / Chris Guillebeau

“Take Imperfect Action” – Jadah Sellner

One of my favourite talks of the World Domination Summit 2014 was by a woman named Jadah Sellner, the co-founder of Simple Green Smoothies (www.simplegreensmoothies.com). At one point, her and her husband were living pay cheque to pay cheque and both had multiple jobs to provide for their family. Jadah had the entrepreneurial drive but a few businesses failed to take off. When she gained weight due to stress, she began drinking kale and spinach smoothies each day. She felt better. She felt healthier. And she wanted to help others benefit from her recipes. Fast forward less than 2 years later, Simple Green Smoothies is empowering hundreds of thousands of people to put their health first. It takes determination and perseverance to make your dreams happen. Jadah’s wise words were delivered in 3 ideas: Continue reading ““Take Imperfect Action” – Jadah Sellner”