One day last fall, Chris Guillebeau author of the <strong>blog</strong> and <strong>book</strong> <em>The Art of Nonconformity</em> announced that he would host the first ever <strong>World Domination Summit</strong> at his home base of Portland, Oregon.

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Uncharacteristically, I acted fast and enrolled.  Usually, I would ponder for days, weeks, months, and then sign up when it's too late.  (Lucky for me, I seem to have recently evolved into The <strong>Peppy Little Puppy<span style="font-weight: normal;">. </span></strong>WDS sold out 6 months in advance.)

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I enlisted to join this crusade without knowing a living, breathing soul attending the conference.  Even though the world sees me as Ms. Extrovert (friendly, former Theatre diva, teacher of the masses), I and the <strong>Myers-Briggs Personality Peeps</strong> consider me Ms. Introvert (painfully shy as a child, loner tendencies, writer).

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So I would be lying to you if I didn't confess that butterflies fluttered by in my stomach as The World Domination Summit approached.  With my more-than-slightly overpacked schedule of Work Life, Blog and <strong>Puppy</strong>, I didn't have much time to chase after the butterflies.  Instead, I harnessed their energy and pushed myself out of The Zone of Comfort.

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The night before the conference, I knew that there was no way in hell that I would be able to lug my overpacked suitcase and computer bag from the airport via train/bus/light rail or whatever it was that Chris suggested in his welcome email.  A)  He's a guy.  B)  He's a guy that has traveled to almost every country and all 50 states which makes him a Packing Expert.  C)  He isn't attached to make-up and hair products because...please refer back to "A".

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THANKFULLY, a woman with some sense and a bit of extra cash tweeted about sharing a cab from the airport and SERENDIPITOUSLY, she just so happened to fly in from San Francisco at the same time as me.

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Before I arrived to my hotel, I made a new friend.  (Who, as it turns out, is now my newest lifelong friend.)

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As fate would have it, I miraculously arrived to my hotel in time to make it to a panel of authors and coaches sharing their experience with their Mastermind Group.

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You know how you hear about something somewhere and it piques your interest?  And then you hear about it again a few weeks later, and you're a bit unnerved and take note?  A couple weeks pass and you hear about it <em>yet again</em>, and it gives you goosebumps and you know that <em>you must act now?</em>

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That happened to me regarding a Mastermind Group as of late.  But I wasn't quite sure how to act now.

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When I saw a tweet about this opportunity in Portland right before the World Domination Summit kickoff, I knew that I had to be there.  Although the odds didn't look good considering that my flight arrived only an hour prior to the meeting.

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But when the universe insists that <em>you must act now</em>, then Southwest Airlines get you to the airport 10 minutes early, a crazy cab driver zips you and your newfound friend to your hotel, and an equally speedy cab driver zips on over to the Mastermind Meetup.

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You then listen, absorb, goosebump some more, and meet authors that you've been reading for years (Michael Bungay Stanier and Jen Louden) as well as new brilliant minds (Molly and Mark).

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If that isn't cool enough, you are next thrust amidst droves of other interesting, like-minded peeps while the ever-humble Chris Guillebeau thanks everyone for coming and lights The Torch of

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