DO Wales '23—You were magical! ?

It’s hard to describe what DO feels like. You have to be there.

And I bet it’s different each time.

3 days.

One farm.

100 people.

No name tags.?

Raw, powerful stories of resilience and courage.

As I flip through my notes, here’s what it will be impossible to capture in writing:

—The calm of the farm in the morning.?

—The wet morning grass.

—The sound of the evenings.

—The sky full of stars.

—The warmth around the fire pit.

—The sound of the rain falling on the tent.

—The delicious, locally sourced food.?

—The best shower I ever had.

—The smiles and the energy of the volunteers.?

—Lu’s magnetic energy and her epic outfits.?

—The songs we sang in the barn.

—The emotion in people’s voices as it breaks to hold space for the tears.

—The absolute mind-blowing attention to detail every single step of the way.

—The realization that David Hieatt and clare hieatt open their home to 100 strangers each year and how they savor every second of it.

Answers looking for questions

I can only talk about the lessons I took away. All precious. All meant to challenge us to DO better.

Never negotiate against yourself. ( Graham Fink )

Start a quest to create more time. ( Megan Erspamer )

We need to democratise possibility. ( Andy Middleton )

Every actual future is an act of will. ( Stephen Kinsella )?

Balance discovery and maker mode. ( Per H?kansson )

Don't die with the music still inside you. ( Graham Fink )

We have many lives to live before we die. ( Guy Grieve )

Know when to end things, and end them well. ( Guy Grieve )?

Start ACTING on the things rooted in BEING. ( Jillian Lavender )?

My weakness makes me powerful when I accept it. ( Sarah Bayliss )

Aim for fewer, better things, thoughts, relationships. ( Per H?kansson )

Be brave enough to change your mind about yourself. ( Omid Malekan )?

Rewild yourself: get comfortable with the uncomfortable. ( Per H?kansson )

Everything is in the past, but elsewhere. Look for the adjacent possible. ( Stephen Kinsella )?

Your enemy is inertia. Go against the current. Kill your assumptions. ( Stephen Kinsella )?

The most underrated thing when building something new is stamina. ( Omid Malekan )?

Start designing the life you want, and then fit your work around it. ( Megan Erspamer )

It’s ok to not have all the answers, but at least let’s ask the questions. (Line Jensen)

When you spend all your energy outward, there’s nothing left for the inside you. ( Sarah Bayliss )

That feeling of hardness is your brain doing the work to rewire and change. ( Jillian Lavender )

Stop identifying with the thoughts in your head. That’s not who you are at your core. ( Jillian Lavender )

You are unique. If you put traces of yourself into your work, your work will be unique too. ( Graham Fink )?

When you're facing uncertainty, muddle forward anyway. It's kind of a superpower. ( Omid Malekan )

There’s a place within us, a base line, our true nature, with unlimited inner energy. It's our state of being. ( Jillian Lavender )

Fear the ever-repeating-knowing. It pressures you to maintain the status-quo. In nature, when we stagnate, the vultures start circling. ( Jillian Lavender )

Questions looking for answers:

• What is so true to your essence that you can feel it in your bones??
• What are your modalities to explore the world?
• What’s your lifeline? A passion that gives you energy and represents who you are at your core.
• What do you already know, but will only realize later this year??
• What’s the adversity you are most proud to have overcome??

People that left a bit of themselves with me ?

Tina KUO —I am so happy we randomly sat next to each other in silence in the train, and for all the meaningful chats that followed. You are one of a kind, and I am looking forward to us meeting again!

David Flynn—I could have talked to you for hours, and I really hope our paths will meet again.

Maria Busque—You are inspiring! Your love for music, your mindful way of running your business, your calm demeanor. Till next time!

Reuben McFeeters ?? —The first DO person I talked to, and let me ask you: How do you do to remember everyone's names and jobs, and make them feel so welcome throughout the event? That's a superpower! But not as impressive as experimenting with different hot chocolate flavors.

Words for the soul ??

You can't remove hope

It just grows into something bigger

Like a confluence of rivers

We are a confidence of givers

That's it isn't it

The collective noun for all us believers

A confidence of givers

We can let go of hope

Send it out into the world

Because we know

That hope becomes belief

And I believe we can make things better.

(Sparkles are on the inside — poem by Emrys Plant)

So yeah...

It’s hard to describe what DO feels like.

It shakes your world and changes you. ??