How do you live a remarkable life in a conventional world?
That’s the question posed at the top of every World Domination Summit – a (large) gathering of creative people who value service, community and adventure as well as connections with other like-minded souls who have made alternative life and work choices. The truth is that in order to dominate the world, we have to be able to dominate our small individual pieces of it. So what exactly does that mean? It means being O.K. making choices that aren’t necessarily popular even though they may be right for us. And, in doing so, it’s important to nail these not-so-easy steps when blazing that trail.
1. Banish “I’m not good enough” from the brain. No matter what you do, someone will always be better at it, and, someone will always be worse at it. So why not just be the most “you” at it because that’s something you’ll get right every time. I know I’m not the best improviser in the world (and O.K. I’m not the worst either) but more importantly, no one has my way of looking at improv and travel as transformational tools that go hand in hand.
2. Put attention toward intention for more productivity. Sit still for 5 minutes and set an intention for the hour, the day, the week. When we can focus attention on our intention it breathes life into it. Although having foot surgery didn’t seem like the best way to spend time, it gave me the gift of an extended period to be still. Because of that, I was able to focus my attention on an intention that had been on the back burner – moving to a coastal community. By the time the anniversary of the foot surgery rolled around, I had a new zip code – next to the beach.
Literal yay-sayers at WDS Laughter Yoga Meet Up – very good, very good, YAY!
3. As we are all the average of the top five people we spend time with, focus on the yay-sayers. Do you ever feel lacking in energy? Think about whether you’re in the yay or nay camp. Those naysayers are exhausting! I promised myself I would avoid them in my new location as not even an ocean breeze can blow positive energy into a space filled with naysayers. And because our budding local improv community is so fresh and green, I proactively sought out five (yes, five!) people who could meet with me monthly to be yay-sayers and accountability partners as well as community growers. And guess what? We’re growing!
4. Seek out more “me too” situations. It’s easy to assume that no one gets you, that no one has anything in common with what you think, feel, do, say, believe. When we adopt that mindset we give ourselves permission to pull away. So what if we did the opposite? What if we leaned in to opportunities to discover more “me too?” One of my saddest improv experiences was when a fellow player told me she knew nothing about one of her other fellow players until I facilitated an icebreaker activity at rehearsal one evening. How can we be authentic on stage if we can’t embrace each other as people in the world by the simple act of getting to know each other? Now, I actually facilitate a game called (you guessed it) “Me Too,” in my improv classes.
A little “yes” can turn any person into a superhero and any day into an adventure.
5. Say “yes” to foster growth rather than saying “no” to embrace safety. Do you go for “no” as a default answer? What’s the best that could happen when we open ourselves up to the world and the possibilities it offers? We’ll never know if we aren’t comfortable being uncomfortable. And how might we move from discomfort to comfort when muddling through the unknown? Perhaps with an improv class! Ok, c’mon you know that was coming, right? Think about it though – where can you train your brain to be resilient in environments where outcomes are completely unknown? In 2007 I moved from Philadelphia to Denver without knowing a soul. Last year I repeated the process again when I came to St. Augustine. A little scary? Sure, and, I knew that I was saying, “yes” to moving forward in both cases, so the potential for growth pulled me ahead. And, I also knew that my improv spirit would guide me to where I needed to be in both Denver and in St. Augustine.
One thing you may have caught if you were reading closely is that I mentioned 5 not-so-easy steps. Why not-so-easy? Because it’s easier to do nothing, to sit on the couch, to embrace the status quo. Change is hard. Personal and professional transformation is really hard. Often times there isn’t a net. There may not be enough yay-sayers. And there may not be any kind of blueprint. However, if there’s enough intention and desire, the not-so-easy becomes doable – never easy.
So how will you dominate your world? Not only do I wish you success in finding your adventure, I hope you’ll consider me one of your yay-sayers as you create it.
Upcoming Ways to Jump Start Your World Domination
CLASS: Improv Summer Series Drop In
Thursday, September 1st
6:30–8:30 p.m.
Limelight Theatre
Take a (final) deep dive into an improv concept in a safe, supportive environment while getting to know members of the growing improv community in St. Augustine. Open to any level improviser.
PLAYSHOP: Improv Hangout
Sunday, September 11th
(Moved due to holiday weekend.)
8-10 p.m.
Limelight Theatre
Play improv games, build community, make a toast and also make some new friends as The Adventure Project hosts a monthly opportunity to play and connect – no improv experience needed!
Please visit The Adventure Project’s calendar for complete details.
