Five hours of silence.  That’s the length of a car ride between Chicago and St. Louis.

That is simply the beginning of the stretch of time I will need to process the wisdom and heart that hugged me this weekend.

I am a new kid on this social media block….so, I walked in to SOBCon knowing I have a lot to learn. But I’m also smart enough to know that the learning really shouldn’t ever stop.

I took no pictures. And no videos. (except for some fantastic karaoke with @PhilGerb and @unmarketing ).

I just wanted to BE. To listen, To ABSORB. To meditate on the brilliance. To decide which of the gems applied most to me. Is it silly (and decidedly girly) to admit I had revelations that almost brought me to tears?

It was magic.  And learning.  And bonding. And deciding.

I tweeted quite a bit as I listened…..hoping to share some of the moments that touched me. You can see the whole SOBCon stream here.

As I settle back in to my life, (You know, the one as a mom, wife, and working-my-tail-off-gal) and prepare to move forward, these are the messages I will repeat to myself….this is what I now know for sure:

“Fear is the mind killer. The opposite of fear is trust….. If we can’t trust ourselves, who can we trust?  I invite you to set aside your fear – those are the kinds of leaders we need now.” ~LizStrauss

“We don’t need dreamers, we need leaders: People who have faced their fear and moved on” ~Liz Strauss

“You don’t want to build a coliseum - you want to raise a barn.  It isn’t, ‘if you build it, they will come….’  it is, ‘if they build it, they will bring their friends, they will own it, protect you, care for you” ~Liz Strauss

“Find a sweet spot between viable niche and the ability to solve a problem that makes you come alive” ~Jonathan Fields

“Every person is the person who can set the mission and the vision. You are in control of how you accomplish tasks and whether you choose to come alive.” ~Jonathan Fields

“The Moment you choose not to execute, you fail.” ~Jonathan Fields

“Keep the bigger vision in the back of your head, but commit to taking action every day.” ~Jonathan Fields

“How do you know it is going to be a success?  You DON’T.  Just do it!” ~Dave Taylor

“You need to define failure and success. What happens when you do succeed??? Are you afraid of success?” Wendy Piersall

“You don’t need permission from others to follow your dreams” LOVE THIS (~someone brilliant)

“It isn’t if the glass is half full, or half empty, but WHAT is in the glass?” ~Hank Wasiak

“Create your signature presence – substance, sizzle, soul.” ~Hank Wasiak

“Be a vulnerable admirer – admire the hell out of people.  Mentors matter – be a mentor and find yours – imitate shamelessly and often.” ~Hank Wasiak

“Power is who you are.  NOT what you have.” ~Hank Wasiak

“Forget Perfection.  Pursue Progress.” ~Hank Wasiak

“Talk, talk, talk about what you want to do.  At some point, SHUT UP and DO IT!” ~Sheila Scarborough

“The narrower your target, the wider your opportunity.” Becky McCray

“If people don’t know who you are, they aren’t going to trust you.” ~Chris Garrett

“What is your elevator speech? If you don’t have a way to tell people what you do, GET ONE!” ~Shelly Kramer

“Thinking about doing social media?  Be there.  Prepare to spend time everyday. Spend 2-5 hours a week just listening online.” ~Amber Naslund

“As a leader you have to show your passion and SHOUT it from the rooftops.”  ~Terry Starbucker

“Stop thinking ‘fear of failure’, start thinking ‘fear of not learning’” ~Scott Porad

“If you have a vision, you have to be adaptable and flexible.” ~Scott Porad

“Trust = visibility + credibility + relevance, divided by real time.” ~Rick Murray

“If the only reason you can think of NOT to do something is because you are scared, then you need to DO IT.” ~Steve Farber

“Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.” Steve Farber

“The OS!M (Oh Sh*t Moment) – a natural thing for every time you take a risk or make a commitment.” ~Steve Farber

“The Greatest Leaders make others greater than themselves.” ~Steve Farber

” Stop collecting recipes, start making food – open a restaurant!” ~Chris Brogan

“Rule of Success: Be anywhere.  Be anywhen.” ~Chris Brogan

“Understanding yourself as a story is the only way you’ll know where you are going next.” ~Chris Brogan

“Persistence overcomes resistance.” ~JayJayFrench

“You build your network before you need it.  They will take care of you.  Your community will always take care of you.” ~Liz Strauss

When I walked into the room at SOBCon, I was nervous.  I had butterflies.  I’ve always believed that anything worth doing will give you that feeling.  It is a reminder of the potential greatness of the experience.

I figured this event would be all business with a side of people.  But in fact, it was all people, all love, with a side of business.

Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker made sure of it.

Now, it is up to me.

I know this for sure.