Just last week, I was lucky enough to participate in a two day conference in Vancouver. It was hosted by Blissdom Canada – the group that had, up until its last year, put on the biggest blog conferences in Canada. 

I haven’t gone to many blog conferences, so I’m always excited to see what people are going to talk about – not only in the seminars, but also in the little conversations that spark up around me. My dear friend, Lindsay, of Lindsay Faber Photography, presented a seminar on natural light and photography – so this means that she and I got to pal around during the conference.

We attended seminars on SnapChat, Instagram, SEO, photography and more. We also got a chance to kick off the Telus Days of Giving by heading off to various different charitable opportunities.

We cleaned up the playground at a YWCA child care center, while others headed to the Food Bank and the Salvation Army. Part of Jennifer and Lisa’s vision for ROAM was to travel around the city, learning, interacting, and giving back. 

But schedule aside, I think that some of the biggest takeaways were from the conversations that I had with other attendees. During a conversation I had with Dai Manuel – the author and uber-guru of fitness  – he said, “I don’t believe in time management issues. There are only commitment issues. It’s not that you don’t have time. You just haven’t set the right priorities.”

I laughed when he said that, and said something along the lines of, “Yeah. You’re so right.”

But now, days later, I’m realizing just how right he was. 

Most people in my life are scrambling to stay on top of their lives. The words, “I don’t have time”, fall off of my lips far too easily. And then I scurry and fret and sigh over my to-do list. 

There’s got to be a better way.

And maybe it’s cutting the fat and making the priorities…. a priority. 

A big thank you to Dai for that comment. It’s been rattling around in my head since Thursday. 

Another highlight of the conference was visiting Zend Conscious Lounge in Yaletown. The owner, Steve Curtis, told a story about how food and positive living completely changed his life. 

He was an extremely charismatic speaker, and had been a successful businessman since he was a teenager. A high school drop-out who ended up graduating from Harvard Business school – he had a very compelling story.

This is me and Lindsay pretending to be vegans. Are we convincing? Do we look more conscious? Conscious-er? 

I have to say, though, that vegan food done well is pretty amazing. The pumpkin puree tacos and salad rolls were delicious. I even whipped up a creamed kale dish tonight inspired by one of the Zend dishes. 

And these cards – sitting upon each table – reminded me SO much of my mother. She’s always wanting lively dinner conversation, and has bought cards similar to these for a few of her kids’ tables. These cards – reminiscent of a new age version of Cranium – inspire the table guests to ask questions and play games.

It was a lively group of men and women who travelled together across the city over those two days. I was delighted to meet some new faces and learn what people are doing:

How a photographer can make a full-time income off of his images on Instagram.
How niche sites can earn passive income without you having to hustle for it.
How an opaque shower curtain can diffuse harsh light coming through a window.
How 8 sets of hands can get a job done that would take a single person hours to complete. 
How I can handle the bustling streets of the city for only a couple of days, and then heave a huge sigh of relief upon coming home to my quiet street, and my backyard full of projects and flowers.

Also, I am suddenly enamoured with large, oversized planters. They’re everywhere!

I learned a great deal about the ins-and-outs of Internetting while at ROAM, but I also learned a lot in the getting-there. I learned from the conversations, the laughs, and the holding of $450 Manolo Blahniks while shopping at Nordstrom.

Some of this is my heart. And some of it just isn’t for me. And that’s okay. 

Thank you to Jennifer and Lisa of Hart & Galla for putting on a wonderful experience. I am very grateful to have been a part of it.