To Infinity and Beyond

I’m sitting here in a little Italian eatery, drinking a semi-decent cappuccino, wondering what on earth I am doing on the other side of the world without my family.

I am constantly talking about creating opportunities and hopefully at the end of a twelve-day whirlwind conference and meeting trip taking in Boston, Las Vegas and San Francisco, some of those opportunities may have just been created. But really? Talk about ‘jumping off the edge’, a ‘leap of faith’, ‘aim for the moon and at least you’ll be among the stars’ and every other cliche/inspirational saying you can think of, and I’m right there.

This is my third time in Boston – so I’ve pretty much covered the tourist sites. Today, I am walking around aimlessly really, soaking up the atmosphere of a foreign city and trying to get some direction physically (I find it hard to read a map!), emotionally and spiritually.

What actually is our true purpose? There’s a lot around theses days about finding your why, your raison d’etre, following your heart, doing what you love. In fact I’m a huge advocate. But right now, on the other side of the world, I’m wondering what it all really means?

I read about the divide between rich and poor growing wider everywhere and everyday. There are organisations out there telling you they can turn your business idea into the next six or seven figure commercial success. In reality, we know there aren’t that many start-ups that cross the line to become sustainable businesses let alone make six figures.

I recommend most of my clients create a sustainable life out of their idea, presuming that it is something they love. And make no mistake, I am an advocate for doing what you love. Why would you spend such a great proportion of your life doing something you don’t? And may surprise some, but everyone doesn’t want to be the next Airbnb or Uber.

So what am I doing here at the Front End Innovation Conference for the second year in a row? After pondering this during the walking all day, I now have an answer to the question.

I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can.

Why this conference? Because last year I learned from the most exceptional speakers I have seen in one place at the one time. In 2015 it was Seth Godin and Tom Kelley who drew me across the ocean to the United States of America. This year there are no speakers that have ‘idol’ status. But some of last year’s gold came from unknown names, who have now made the list!

And what will I do with the knowledge that I amass over the next few days? Pass it on of course. To clients, organisations, groups and anyone else that wants to know. Because in sharing what we know, we may have some small impact, and that is how, just maybe, we can create a better world.