Tonight’s Unconventional Book Tour visit by Chris Guillebeau was one of the highlights of my year for sure. I have been following Chris’s writing for about a year now and he’s one of those people that I just felt immediately drawn to the first time I saw his blog. Tonight, Chris shared his passion for life and non-conformity with a huge crowd of Atlantans at my friend Judi’s Urban Oasis Bed & Breakfast about 1/2 mile from my loft. There was an awesome spread of food and beverages and even a massive mural featuring Chris’s body with the face cut out for pictures, a couple of tigers, and the Urban Oasis backdrop behind him. The lady that created it did an incredible job with it, and it was definitely the center of attention as people came into the space.
What has always resonated with me about Chris’s message is that it’s not about him, and this book tour has been no exception. He goes out of his way to make sure people know it’s about the other people in the room and the interesting connections that come out of these events. I found this to be true in a very direct and personal way tonight. I had a great conversation with a younger colleague that recently graduated who I had worked with on a project a few months ago. He had some very kind things to say about our work together and the energy that he felt while working with me. It’s not that I had been some sort of divine inspiration or anything, but something definitely rubbed off when we worked together. I literally had no idea that I had any affect on him and it was really great to hear that feedback. I’m the first person to discount my own offerings while praising others for their brilliance.
When Chris was giving his talk tonight, he reminded me that the World Domination Summit is coming up next June in Portland, and this is an event that I said for sure I would attend. I received a check unexpectedly right before I left to go over to the party, and I’ve already carved out a portion to pay for the WDS ticket. That’s just the way it works – things come together when they are meant to.
So, I’ll leave it at that for now. But before I do, I’ll stress how incredible The Art of Non-Conformity is and how much I enjoyed reading it. I recommend it to people all the time and think that every person who has ever questioned their path in life could benefit from its message. If you haven’t already read it, do yourself a favor and read it. Now.
Special thanks to Chris Guillebeau for taking the time to do this tour and to Judi Knight for being an incredible host for the event tonight. It was definitely a memorable evening!
