As a kid, I loved superheros.
Everyone from Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, He-Man, Snoopy.
OK, maybe Snoopy wasn’t a super hero but I still thought he was cool.
Superheros were awesome and when things went wrong, they were there to make things better.
I always wanted to be able to make things better.
I Wanted To Make A Difference
I figured the only way to do that, to make a difference, make things better, was to become a superhero.
I was willing to do anything to make it happen too… buy a cape, exercise everyday to build superhero muscles and strength, even go to superhero school, l mean seriously, anything.
Although I never attended superhero school (does that even exist?), I have however attended World Domination Summit for the past three years which is technically like attending superhero school.
Attending #WDS2016 this year (superhero school if you will) helped me realize one very important fact, and that is…
I Don’t Need To Be A Superhero To Make A Difference
I have all I need right now to make things better for myself, for others, and for the world.
It’s a choice, a choice we all have.
Having the ability to change, to help, and support people and different causes doesn’t require me to be a superhero, it just requires me to act.
I’ve come to realize that making a difference in the world isn’t reserved for a select few with super powers, super wealth, or super fame… none of that.
Instead, it’s reserved and available to any one of us who makes the decision to act, to give, to love, to serve, to help, to make a difference, to be compassionate and kind.
We All Have The Ability To Make Things Better, To Make A Difference, And To Change The World
We don’t need to wear a cape (although wearing one is definitely fun) to help make things better.
We don’t need to build superhero type muscles (I do however encourage daily exercise) to make a difference.
And we don’t need to attend Superhero School (although I highly encourage attending WDS at some point in your life) to change the world.
I use to think I had to first become a superhero and then I could go and help make a difference and make things better for others, for myself, and for the world.
I was so wrong.
In fact, I had it completely backwards.
It’s in helping to make a difference, to make things better for myself, for others, and for the world, that I become I superhero, that we all become superheros.
We all have the ability to make a difference in some way, shape, or form.
We all have the ability to make things better for ourselves, for others, and the world.
And this years #WDS2016 speakers taught me exactly how, each in their own unique and special way.
10 Blueprints For Making A Difference & Changing The World
Aside from being awesome, Jonathan is.. well you know, big-time awesome.
When it comes to making a difference and changing the world, Jonathan believes it’s all about living a good life.
And in order to do that, he suggests we focus on the following 5 B’s…
1) Be Intentional
Forget the 1000 item to-do list, focus on and do what matters.
Living a good life is about acting versus reacting to life.
Stop being so busy and just checking boxes – focus on what matters, what inspires you.
2) Be Open
Be yourself, be open, be who you are.
And if people are uncomfortable by you being you and who you are, that’s their thing, not yours.
Fortunate favors the open.
3) Be Kind
Let me break this one down in my own words… don’t be an asshole.
Be kind, be caring, be respectful, be compassionate, be loving, be awesome.
Best way to be all these things and more is to surround yourself with others who are also kind.
4) Be You
Don’t sell out and be anyone other than yourself.
Be unapologetically joyful.
Unless you can be a unicorn, keep being you because YOU are awesome.
5) Be Still
Whenever we’re still, it cultivates awareness.
Make “zooming out” a daily practice.
Go somewhere, anywhere that works for you, to check out and just be still
Michele is a complete bad-ass who went 100 days without fear.
1) She believe fear is nothing but an obstacle to be overcome.
Many of us seem to suffer from phobophobia which is the fear of fear itself.
2) She believes that anytime we face a fear, we open up a brand new door to new and difference experiences we otherwise would never have experienced.
Instead of asking “what’s the worst that can happen?“…
3) Ask the question, “What’s the best that can happen?“
It’s time we start viewing fear as an opportunity and face it instead of being fearful of fear.
The more uncomfortable, the bigger the reward.
When people get a tattoo of what you said permanently on their skin, it must have be some pretty awesome stuff – and that it was.
All of Chelsea’s messages were tattoo worthy.
1) How you do anything is how you do everything.
In other words, if you half-ass an assignment, you’re most likely to half-ass a relationship, a career, a friendship, everything and anything.
Whatever you do and commit to, give it your all.
2) Curiosity cultivates creativity.
Instead of making a statement like, “I can’t do that“, ask a question such as, “what would happen and what would it look like if I did that?“
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but you’re not a cat.
Be curious, ask questions.
3) You are limitless.
Our only limits are limits we imposed on ourselves.
So go ahead, dream big – it’s all possible.
4) Widen your world.
Say yes to life.
Embrace all that comes your way.
Life is what we decide it to be.
Caroline provided three steps on how to have a good day.
1) Let’s Edit Our Reality
Much of what’s around us gets subconsciously filtered out.
We all experience what she called subjective reality – what we believe reality is.
Reality is what we say it is – if that’s the case, let’s make our reality positive and awesome versus negative and shitty.
2) Create More Time
No more multitasking.
Multitasking makes us slower, less accurate, less wise, and less creative.
Our brain has to be able to switch off one task in order to switch to another.
Go offline for your most important tasks.
3) Shift Others Moods
Caroline mentioned the term “fundamental attribution error“.
Essentially this is when we think someone isn’t a good person who’s in a bad situation.
Instead of assuming bad person, assume good person in a bad circumstance.
Put simply, see the good in people regardless of what may be going on.
Doing so creates the opportunity to improve others’s behavior by assuming good person, in bad circumstance.
Pete is great – just a laid back dude who shared 3 amazing facts that will make anyone rich.
1) Almost everyone sucks at money.
Any money you spend that doesn’t make you happier is wasted.
Essentially I think what he’s trying to say is don’t spend your money of stupid shit you don’t need and instead, invest it in things and experiences that make you happier.
2) Getting rich enough to retire takes about 10 years.
Here’s the fastest way to do that… spend less than you earn.
Being rich is no longer viewed as just having boat loads of money but instead, having enough money to do more of the things you want to do and more time to do them too.
3) Work is better when you don’t need the money.
The purpose of earning money is to have enough money.
Working because you want to work, not because you have to work.
Now that would be pretty darn cool if you ask me.
Zach was hilarious and his story, his attitude, and outlook on life was absolutely awesome.
He is the author of the book, If at Birth You Don’t Succeed, which is a heartfelt memoir about finding your passion and your path—even when it’s paved with epic misadventure.
Entering the world with cerebral palsy and an uncertain future hasn’t slowed Zach down a bit.
He’s quick to admit there’s lots of things he can’t do on his own and was also quick to remind us that the same is true for everyone.
1) Success is in part facilitated by others.
2) Whatever it is your out to do and accomplish, always do it with love and compassion.
It makes sense why Zach was so hilarious and funny considering he believes…
3) Laughter is the best tool to get through any hardship.
Emiliya’s energy was awesome… not to mention 20 minutes into her talk she had us up and dancing.
She made three very important points that I want to share with you here…
1) Asking and understanding “why” for anything doesn’t really help since there’s nothing we can do about it even if we do understand and know the “why“.
2) We rarely get answers from our “whys” but we’re always crafting them.
3) When we change our thoughts, we change our reality.
It’s our thoughts that create our reality.
She suggests that going forward, we make our “whys” bigger than our “buts“.
What does that mean?… It means focusing on why we want to do something, why we want to make a difference, why we want to make things better instead of, but this and but that.
“Why” is action driven whereas “but” is fear, hesitancy, uncertainty driven.
Not only is Emily hilarious, down to earth, and big-time inspiring, she also owns a multi-million dollar stationary and gift company designed for real people in real situations, including serious illness and loss.
She suggests…
1) That we doubt our doubts.
2) That we do the heavy lifting, do the work.
3) That we come to peace with what’s happened, with the past.
To be pulled by our future and not held back by our past.
“Anytime we can expand the definition of normal, we are doing humanity a great service.”
And when it comes to business and success, she suggests the easiest path to a successful product or company is to solve a freakin problem.
Do the work, do the heavy lifting.
Innovation does not require fancy tech, venture funding, or an MBA.
Innovation is about learning to do it as we go.
Angel was so cool, collected, and just chill, I could have listened to her speak for hours.
She helped us understand how to respond when we’re feeling stressed, uptight, anxious, angry, not heard, and stuck, especially when it comes to matters we feel we are unable to do anything about.
Violence, discrimination, prejudice… what do we do with our feeling towards these situations and so many others?
Angel suggests…
1) The way “in” is “through” these experiences and situations.
Instead of pushing away from whatever the uncomfortable situation may be, she suggests we acknowledge it, recognize it, know it’s there.
2) Make peace by focusing on ourselves, our state, our stance, our breathing, our everything.. on our own existence.
The quickest way through any difficult situation isn’t around it, above it, or trying to ignore it altogether.
3) The quickest way through any difficult situation is to allow it in and then own your own feelings, your own space.
While I wasn’t an actual WDS main stage speaker (what an honor that would be), I did however host a meet-up, an Entrepreneur Fitcamp.
Why am I mentioning it here?
Because in order for any one of us to make a difference and change the world, it’s going to require that we feel our absolute best so that we can be at our absolute best.
1) Making time for exercise is making time for success.
Changing ourselves, let alone the world, is not easy feat and the quickest most effective way to be able to do more, be more, become more, experience more, serve more, and ultimately give more, is through regular exercise.
2) Regular exercise is the gateway to greatness.
How you ask?
The quickest way for us to change our psychology (what we think and believe can be done and accomplished) is to change our physiology (through movement and exercise).
3) In order to be our best, we must feel our best.
Exercise.
If You Change The Way You Look At Things, The Thinks You Look At Change
My goal, my vision, my desires, my dreams, all of it, is to make a difference, make things better for myself, for others, and for the world.
What I realize is that the only way for me or any of us to change the world, is to change ourselves first.
What we think, what we do, what we believe, what we say, what we give, and what we stand for.
In order for things to change, we must change.
In order for things to get better, we must get better.
Let’s no longer wish for less problems but instead, let’s work for more solutions.
We don’t need to be superheros to change the world.
We just need to be the best we can be.
Because when we are, we will change the world.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Thanks for being here.
You’re awesome…
Cheers!
Mike
Awesome post Mike! I relived all the great experiences of the WDS.
Thanks Alex – I appreciate it. It was great seeing you at WDS again this year. You’re awesome man… Cheers!