Accelerate

As readers of this blog know, I have spent the last few days at #FinCon18.  I return home absolutely exhausted and in need of sleep, hydration, and time to decompress.  There is no question that meet ups like these cost money, time, and energy.  Yet, I can say without a doubt, that each time I have put myself out into this community, I have left many steps far ahead of where I started.  Whether it be this blog, business ideas, personal growth, or new friendships, meeting in real life has done more to accelerate my path than I could have ever imagined.

It started with a small get together in Chicago.  There I met some amazing people including the creator of CampFI.  Two CampFIs later and with FinCon under my belt,  I can barely see my humble beginnings in the rearview mirror.

Blogging/Content

I have discussed in the past how writing is a life hack.  When I write, I clarify my thoughts and plan for future action.  Real life meet ups have a similar effect.  There is nothing like the face to face, eye to eye, exchange of ideas.  Although we do quite a bit of this online, the effect is magnified when done in real life.

The grand majority of my ideas about financial independence 2.0 have come from these type of discussions.  The refining of my blog content and message in regards to the philosophy of FI as opposed to the mechanics, all came from these discussions.

You can’t help but accelerate your world view when surrounded by people who think deeply about the same issues as you do.

Opportunity/Collaboration

Meeting with the creator and organizer of CampFI in Chicago lead to a speaking opportunity in Little Rock Arkansas and more to come in 2019.  From these meetings I have built a number of relationships that are turning into collaborations, guest posts, and podcast appearances.

Paul D Thompson and I are now thinking about starting a podcast.

There is no better way to accelerate collaboration than to talk in real life.  No better format than a venue in which people have traveled specifically to exchange ideas.  The barriers to pitching have fallen away.  Content creators and business people come to these events to pitch and be pitched.  There is much less awkwardness.

Connection

Above and beyond all else, it’s the people.  There is nothing more important than the people who you meet at these get togethers. Of course there are the internet superstars that we all dream of hobnobbing with.  Some of my most profound interactions, however, occur with the regular folks just like you and me.

I can clearly say that I have met 5-10 lifelong friends that I would never have connected so profoundly with if I had not gotten up off the couch and traveled hundreds of miles to  engage.  Not only do we have common goals and ideas, but we have common language and passions.

If nothing else, meeting in real life will accelerate friendships.

And in the end, long after all the content fades, those friendships are what will last.

Final Thoughts

Coming to meet ups, and traveling out of my way for financial independence get togethers has been of immeasurable value to my life. It has been a great way to accelerate my content and collaborate with some great people.

But much more importantly, it has opened the door to connections and friendships which will last a lifetime.

I left #FinCon18 with quite a bit of gratitude and wonderful memories.