I spent this past weekend at Make An Impact LIVE with Dr. Mollie Marti and her team in Chicago. One of the many things I took notes on was her particular comment about “intent.” She described it as the one word to best describe the conference, and that she hoped we would take that word with us. Dr. Mollie offered an intentional line-up of speakers and covered topics from dreaming to personal energy, fitness to business development, and networking to etiquette. Each one offered advice that in my opinion supports the idea of being intentional and acting with intent. My thoughts on these are below.

• Mitch Matthews reminded us that even when you have trouble articulating your own dreams, helping others realize theirs can help illuminate your own.
• One of my favorite authors, Bob Burg, pointed out that Go-Givers are not the opposite of Go-Getters – they are the opposite of Go-Takers. (For more insights on the intent of this message, read The Go-Giver by Burg and John David Mann).
• John Morgan cautioned us to “define yourself before someone else does.”
• Frank McKinney’s blessing to us was what he learned about restless forward motion and the benefits to be gained when you blend your highest professional calling with your highest spiritual calling.
• Andrea Metcalf focused on health, fitness and overall wellness. One of my favorite messages of intent from her was that if you stabilize your blood sugar, you will be healthier. EAT eat EAT eat EAT. (EAT a big meal; eat a little meal…)
• Dr. Mollie Marti inspired us with a formula that requires you to blend what you think, feel and do to create change in our lives. (And I have about 5 more pages of notes on what she shared…)
• Debbie Bermont was a force of nature in the conference for me, and one of my favorite comments from her was that she believes we all have the same two purposes: to serve others, and to experience love – both from a giving and receiving perspective.
• Melissa Galt was specific in sharing her intent for each of us: write a bulleted bio, know our features v. our benefits, and identify our target audience (in excruciating specificity).
• Also on deck were Patricia Rossi, Dixie Gillaspie, Josh Hinds and Dondi Scumaci…and I learned personal lessons of value from each of them. And Felicia Slattery was a charismatic emcee.
• I’m sure all these folks, and my classmates could have found something else to do with their weekends, but I’m grateful and appreciative for their time, talents and energy.

Do any of my recollections resonate with you? I’d love to have your comments!