Things I Learned at Alt Summit 2014

I went to Salt Lake City with big hopes of making connections and learning something about blogging. I did that.

But then, about halfway through the conference, I started to feel this renewed sense of inspiration and creativity--an itch to get things done--which maybe I expected, but wasn't totally prepared for. It felt good. I sat down with Megan Silianoff, author of 99 Problems but a Baby Ain't One, and chatted about writing vs. blogging. I had a delicious meal and, later, a couple of cocktails with some wonderful people from La Crema. And I had the pleasure of listening to Ben Silbermann of Pinterest close the conference with totally eloquent words about work and failure and creativity.

There's a lot that I'm still processing, so I think I'll just leave you with a list of things I took away from my time at Alt Summit.

+ Your voice really matters. Be true to it. Be authentic in everything you do.
+ Strive to create something that's open, accepting, and filled with love.
+ Don't be afraid to try new things.
+ Sometimes you're going to have to work really, really hard.
+ Don't be afraid to fail--every other successful person has done it, will do it, is doing it.
+ The gap between where you are and where you want to be should get bigger as you do. Never stop growing.
+ Just be better than you were yesterday.

Photo via my Instagram, which I took from Blair, who sat next to me on our flight + is also marrying a Rob.