The 3 Biggest Takeaways from The Creators Conference, April 2018

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” -Rollo May

I had such an amazing time at the Creators Conference and just want to share a small fraction of what I learned with everyone now. As all the speakers were sharing there were a few themes that ran through each talk like a common thread

Authenticity, Transparency, Community

First, Authenticity. This is one of my favorite overall subjects, as it ties exactly into what I write about when I post. It is knowing who you are. Knowing your likes and dislikes is one thing but knowing what part of you is real versus what part of you are someone else’s beliefs that you have picked up along your life.

For instance, my mom had a saying, a belief in her life that went something like this. “One step forward and two steps back.” Meaning that every time she felt like she was progressing or evolving in life, something would drag her back in further, some calamity would happen. And because she had that belief, that's what happened in her life. The scarier thing is that I adopted it because I didn't know any better. So the beginning stages of my life were very much the same as her. And it took me a long time to realize that that's not me, that is a false belief.

Authenticity is huge, knowing who you are and being who you are. Being in alignment with your values, your ideals, your ethics, your morals. Your beliefs that you have chosen about how you want to perceive the world and living them every day. That is authenticity.

So when it comes to Steem, the biggest thing that we all talked about, is to put yourself out there wholeheartedly because you will attract the people who are just like you. If you're super in to gaming and you absolutely nerd out on video games, don’t hide it just put it out there and you will be amazed as you attract other gamers. That is how you're going to find your tribe. It'll be really you and you will be accepted because that's what you really love.

If you're addicted to writing like me, you're going to find other writers. I got to meet a whole group of writers at the conference. I learned about their contests and discord groups. It was amazing.

Also, authenticity is not just your likes, but where you are in your life. What your challenges have been and what your struggles are now. What you love, what you lost, and who you’ve become. Put yourself out there warts and all. The metaphorically naked you with your walls down. That is true authenticity, and that is what everybody loves to see on Steem. Nobody wants to have fake people in our community.

We had tons of amazing speakers, be open and authentic with us, which is why it was so easy to connect with them. Same on the platform, where the people we like to follow are the people who put themselves out there completely, openly and honestly. I love what @coruscate had to say. She dares herself to be even more open. She feels that for it to be a great post she has to feel slightly uncomfortable and close her eyes before she hits the post button. That is inspirational to me.

Next, Transparency. One of the reasons we all love Steem is because of complete transparency of the platform. It's very easy to see and know, everything about someone's profile, how much they've invested, how much they believe in Steem, how much they've been posting, their reputation, their followers, everything.

But more than that its transparency with your intention. Intention is a very powerful thing. Intention and authenticity dovetail together, in that, being open and honest about who you are and what you want to do. Being open and honest, about why you are on Steem. Are you on it to make money, are you there to sell something, are you there to just promote yourself and your vision, your project, your art? Or is it something else entirely? Are you there to connect with other people, like social media was intended to do?

Full transparency with me, I am on it to make money, but I'm also there for the love of writing. I absolutely love to write. I get lost in it, it's my thing, my gift. I can sit down and just let things flow, let the keys move by themselves, and I don't even care if anybody reads it. That's how much I love it. It's what gets me in the zone, in the flow, in the channeling state, where I lose all sense of time, space, ego, and work entirely on feel and inspiration. So, for me, it's a way to grow, evolve, and help others, if they read what I'm writing, and connect with it. It's a way for me to express love.

Plus, if I can make money on it, that's even better. Let's be serious, money is an essential part of our lives on this planet. Each of us has our own relationship with money. Our own ideas and beliefs about it. I'm very passionate about financial education in schools, to our youth, and to adults. In the business away from the platform, I deal with this literally every day. Helping people understand money and debt.

For me Steem is about passion first and a way to make money second. I love what @happymoneyman said in his speech. Brandon has one hell of a story and I super appreciate him telling it to us all because, through his journey, he realized that happiness was his most important priority. He had to put happiness first and looking outside of himself for happiness wasn't working. He looked for it in money, with fame, with fortune, with a great job, all these things never made him happy. But when he found happiness inside of him, he knew he had to cultivate it and make that his priority. The reason he's calls himself Happy Money Man is to remind himself that happiness is first, money is second. I absolutely love that.

I completely agree with it. Because, I believe that if you follow your heart, you follow your passion, you follow your highest excitement, you do the thing that calls you, the money will come. You will always be guided, you will always be taken care of.

Also, I connected with what Joe Parys @joeparys said about transparency. There's a big controversy right now about using bots. He's fully transparent about it, he uses them. Not only can you see it in the posts and in his wallet, that he's using bots. But he came right out with it and said "Yeah, I use bots. It is a simple return on investment.” From an investor standpoint, it makes perfect sense. Is there a pro and con to using them? Yeah. There are consequences, plus bots could possibly promote terrible stuff. But they could also help promote great stuff. So, I use them too. He said, "just own it, whatever it is, just own it." It's hard to argue with somebody who's owning their shit. That, to me, is transparency.

Lastly, it is all about Community. I heard it time, and time again.

The community is important, to all of us, to find our tribe. To find the people that resonate with us, that's why the platform is so amazing. Because you can put out who you truly are, and your full intentions with authenticity and transparency, and attract the people who are doing the same.

This was never more evident then what @everlove and @quinneaker had to say. They have built a real community where they live in the Garden of Eden. They wake up and get to see each other every day, and spend each day with the people they love, and enjoy spending time with. That's powerful.

We have that same opportunity here on Steem. I feel so blessed and grateful, because I went into the conference with no expectations, just trying to help facilitate, make sure things were running smoothly, and make sure everyone else was having a good time. I knew I'd connect with certain people, but I didn't know I'd come away with so many new amazing friends.

@Scottshots, amazing human being and talented photographer, said it best, "These are lifelong friendships that we're making." As long as we're involved in Steem and as long as Steem exists, you can cultivate real relationships. I met so many amazing people that I truly care about. I genuinely want to share in their lives.

I felt so honored to get so much support for going up on stage, being authentic, transparent, and talking about the things that I love to talk about. I realized that I'm not the only crazy one out there. Most people in that room thought the way I did about a number of subjects which is why we have all found each other. You must think outside the box to be in Steem at this stage of the game.

To build a better community, the biggest light bulb idea I took away was how important it is to comment on other people's posts and reply to the comments you receive. But in a way that is not just a thank you, which is what I normally do, but a way that opens conversations to get to know each other. I used to think, “I don't have the time for that." But, bottom line is, you're more likely to read, listen, or watch somebodies post that you like, and connect with. Every one of the friends that I made this past weekend, I want their stuff on my feed first. I want to see what they're up to. I want to stay connected with them and upvote them.

That's the power of community. It makes you happier, makes you more connected, makes you feel like you have support, for whatever crazy idea you're inspired to create. So, I encourage everybody to come to the next Steem Creators Conference, because the hidden underlying theme, beyond the main three I have been writing about, is that we had a lot of Fun. We had tons of fun making new friends in Vegas, getting to know one another, letting it all hang out, and authentically, transparently communicating with each other about our hopes and dreams, for our lives and our Steem Platform.

Want to thank all my new friends Quinn Eaker @quinneaker, Joe Parys @joeparys, Sara Miller @saramiller, Shellie Smith @everlove, Brandon Parker @happymoneyman, Jacob Billet @entrepreneur916, Lea Thompson @coruscate, Mary @maryjaney, Scott Thompson @scottshots
Amy and Jamie Honey @thehoneys, Richard Crill @richardcrill, Lindsey @lindseylambz, Joseph Ford Savage @steembasicincome, Daniel Fishman @hypnopreneur, Marianne West @mariannewest, Chris Avalos @reseller, @virtualgrowth, Rob @hyperfundit, Iris Lee @allsthefoods, Ken Melendez @kenmelendez, Dave Christopher @daveonarrival, Rory @thetruth36, Marianne West @marriannewest and anyone I missed. Much love and gratitude for you all

If you have anything to add that I missed, please keep the conversation going!

Good Journey My Friends