Have you ever had a fantastic experience that you loved, but later realized you didn’t take full advantage of the opportunity? That was me several years ago.
CaboPress is a invite-only conference hosted by Chris Lema in Cabo each year. I got the opportunity to go to CaboPress in 2016 and absolutely loved the experience. I learned a lot, got to meet some amazing people (several of whom I’ve worked with and for since then), and gained insight into what success looked like for me. But I faced a tension that I’ve only started to understand recently.
I’m an introvert who sometimes masquerades as an extrovert. Being from a ministry background, I was in front of folks and on stage quite a bit. I have had to be “on” a lot over my career in front of groups large and small. While I enjoy doing so, I also quickly become worn out by doing so. Being alone is truly the way I recharge. It wasn’t until this past year that I began to understand this and structure my time and life to recharge in a way that worked for me.
Back to CaboPress 2016, I made the grave mistake of spending a lot of time in my room at the resort. Not all my time, but more than was beneficial. I missed countless opportunities to grow my business acumen and my relationships with the others in attendance. I lied to myself and said I was just tired and wasn’t really missing anything. Boy, was I wrong.
Fast forward to the weeks leading up to CaboPress this year and I had already identified that I could not do that again. This trip was too important and too awesome to spend in my room. So I devised a plan to make sure I spent time with folks and in conversations through each day of the event. I even ask James Laws to call me out if I spent too much time by myself or with people I already knew well.
I truly found my people.
It worked. 2022’s CaboPress was spectacular in so many ways. The sessions (which only occur in the morning so you have time process and plan in the afternoon) were fantastic. Exactly what I needed personally as a leader and things that my business could take advantage of TODAY. Putting myself out there in conversations and asking questions could not have been easier because of the amazing speakers and attendees. The fantastic folk that Chris curates to lead sessions and be side-by-side with you as attendees are some of the most kind, passionate, smart, generous people that I’ve ever met.
I asked deep, vulnerable questions and was met with the same level of depth and vulnerability in kind by so many. I laughed so hard my sides hurt on the return flight. I truly found my people.
In the coming days, I’ll write up more about the sessions, my own insights gained, and more about the event itself. But for now, the greatest thing about CaboPress and about life is the people. Chris continually works to bring together fantastic folk. While I can’t speak to every year (since I’ve had to miss a few), this year, Chris, you nailed it.
If you have any interest in growing your business and meeting some of the kindest and most passionate folk around, apply to Cabopress 2023. You will NOT regret it.