3 Takeaways for Writers from the 2014 World Domination Summit

World Domination Summit

This past weekend, I attended the World Domination Summit (WDS) in Portland, which attracts 3,000 creative people who are concerned with answering the question: “How do we live a remarkable life in a conventional world?” They are guided by three values:

  1. Community
  2. Service
  3. Adventure

Speaking personally, I’m really into the first two, as well as the third when it’s tied to travel and experiencing new cultures. (Some of the attendees are really into physical adventure.)

The weekend was full of insightful and passionate talks by accomplished people from around the world. Here are three takeaways I was left with.

1. You don’t need to have it all figured out to take the first step.

Some creative people get tripped up and never start things because they can’t envision how they’ll tackle a seemingly insurmountable project. And they can get paralyzed by everything they don’t know. Some people want to feel safe and take action that reduces risk or feels comfortable.

With apologies to my partner, this describes his default behavior. Before tackling a project, he wants to know the process and procedure that will be followed and do everything in the correct manner. He doesn’t take the first step unless he’s researched the other steps and considered advice from experts and others with experience. He is thorough. (His day job involves scheduling and shipping logistics for hundreds of products, so he performs his job at a superior level, as you can imagine.)

I am at the other extreme. I’ll take the first step without knowing anything about steps 2, 6, and 10, then realize around step 10 that I’ve wasted a lot of time, money, or energy along the way. Sometimes this leads to failure, sometimes not.

Neither process is necessarily better (or wrong)—much depends on the situation.

However, as speaker Michael Hyatt pointed out, important things get accomplished in the discomfort zone. Attempting new things can involve hesitation and confusion—which inhibits getting started in the first place. Scott Berkun said the hidden secret that all creators have is that they have to do the work while feeling a little unsure—but doing it anyway.

What if you learned by doing, asked speaker Elise Blaha Cripe? What if you took imperfect action, asked speaker Jadah Sellner?

What if: You outline all the steps you need to take, without knowing everything at the outset, and you just focus on step 1. Then you focus on step 2, and so on. (This is a theme echoed in Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, as well as in Getting Things Done.) Break things down into their smallest components, and take the first step.

Besides, once you embark on a project, things change. You grow. The unexpected occurs. And you have to reframe and redirect along the way. You build in flexibility as needed to allow for what couldn’t be anticipated.

2. Write down or speak your goals to make them real.

For those who are familiar with The Secret or just the “power of positive thinking,” this advice can be construed in that manner. But that’s not the intention here.

Still, I sometimes feel conflicted when this advice is offered, depending on the context. Here are the instances when I think it is most helpful.

1. It can help clarify what you want or define what you want to do. Writing something down privately forces clarity, and seeing it on paper (or screen) is not the same as rolling it over in your head. Speaker Elise Blaha Cripe gave all attendees stickers that said, “I ____________.” It is meant to be filled in with what you do or want to be known for.

2. Writing down specific goals can help you take them more seriously and take steps to achieve them—both conscious and unconsciously. Your perspective shifts and you see opportunities to further your goal, and what is distracting from the goal. It gives you a framework for making better choices.

3. Sharing your goals publicly can bring a community to your aid. If people know what you want to achieve, they can offer resources, ideas, and assistance. If you keep quiet or don’t clearly know what you want, that obviously makes it tougher for people to be helpful. Many goals can be out of your reach without the help of others.

These themes were echoed strongly by Jadah Sellner and Elise Blaha Cripe.

Here’s when I think this approach can backfire.

Accountability. I don’t really believe in accountability partners, though many at this event did. (There were even meetups to help you find an accountability partner.) I believe in partnering with people to accomplish things, as well as critique groups, mentors, and communities. But sometimes discussing and expressing our goals publicly can be detrimental. It can de-motivate you. Read Derek Sivers’ compelling argument on this.

Magical thinking. I don’t believe things happen just because you tell the universe that’s what you want.

3. The outer shapes the inner.

If you want to become a better person, then you pretend to be a better person—because if you pretend long enough, it happens. Speaker A.J. Jacobs said, “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than to think your way into a new way of acting.”

Yes, this is the old cliche, which works: “Fake it till you make it.”

Similarly, the way you hold your body affects your mind. If you have a Charlie Brown pose (head down, shoulders slumped), you’ll feel more sad or depressed. If you hold your head high and keep your shoulders back, it increases your confidence and lowers stress. This point was made especially clear by speaker Dee Williams, who discussed her changes in attitude and outlook by simply pretending to wear a superhero cape.

If I had to list a fourth insight, it would be from Scott Berkun, who demonstrated the role of luck in so many success stories. We tend to idolize and look for the “secrets” of how or why someone made it, while minimizing any role that chance played. He said that sometimes you can do everything right, and still fail, and that the reasons something becomes successful are often out of your control.

(Of course, not being afraid to fail—and the inevitability of failure—was a consistent theme as well.)


For those of you who have unfulfilled dreams, and need a push in the right direction to pursue them—especially if it involves starting your own business or embarking on a new career—I highly recommend WDS. I am grateful to Chris Guillebeau, its founder, for inviting me to attend. If you’ve never read his manifesto, 279 Days to Overnight Success, every writer should—plus it’s an easy way to get introduced to entrepreneurship. You should also check out The $100 Startup, his New York Times bestselling book.

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David Mark Brown

These are three great rules to live by. I slip up on the third one despite the fact I preached it to college students for years. The danger of spending so much time behind the keyboard everyday is slipping into a sort of introverted shell world. I lose the ability to see myself and my world from an outside perspective. This leads to inner/outer schism. (for me anyway). Gotta work harder to keep working on the exterior life. Thanks for the reminder.

Marcy Mason McKay

Boy, did I need to be reminded of #1, Jane. I started a blog this past Spring to help other writers, but almost did NOTHING because I didn’t have it all figured. It’s been the most thrilling, terrifying thing I’ve ever done, however, I absolutely feel like I’m on the right path. Thanks.

Kathy Holzapfel

Thanks for sharing these great takeaways. Number one is my slipping point. I also liked seeing the conference values listed: community, service, adventure. Going to brainstorm these. And I’m adding WDS 2015 to my wish list.

Alison Brook

Another brilliant post, thanks Jane. Every new venture requires vision, courage and resilience. It’s good to be reminded that you will make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes, have a vision, and work really hard. If it was easy (as the saying goes), everyone would be doing it!

William Ash

I believe there is a TED talk that basically states that if you tell others about your goals, you are less likely to achieve them. The act of talking about the goals is substituted for actually acting on them. Pre-complacency if you will.

I do believe in planning, but I also believe in iterations. It is good to have some path to follow, but you need to realize that you probably will not do well the first time. With each attempt, you can refine and discover. You also start separating rules from guidelines.

And I assume you are talking about that other Portland in Oregon, not the one in Maine. 😉

Jane Friedman

Iterations: a key concept from the tech world, I think. 🙂

Definitely the Portland in Oregon!

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Helen Sedwick

I LOVE the image of visualizing yourself wearing a superhero cape.

Regarding the issue of taking the first steps without knowing where you are headed, I have come to believe that taking risks is easier for some people right from birth. Regardless of upbringing, some people will take the playground slide headfirst with their eyes closed, and others brace their legs against the side rails and inch down. The important lesson is to find your own way to take the steps to achieve your goals.

Jane Friedman

Having observed how differently my partner and I approach risk-taking, I think you are right!

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[…] 3 Takeaways for Writers from the 2014 World Domination Summit (Jane Friedman) […]

Ellen

So much wisdom in this post — thank you!

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[…] Weiland gives us 3 reasons NOT to write for the money; Jane Friedman shares lessons learned at the 2014 World Domination Summit; Jennifer Robson explains why dogs make fun writing partners; and Worst Muse shares some truly bad […]