Dad 2.0.15-- the Takeaways

Just finishing 2 huge days in my community of dads, hanging out with, being inspired by, and getting a little drunk with some of the best dad bloggers in the world.

It's become one of my favorite events of the year

Here's a couple of my favorite moments/takeaways from this year's event.

1.  #REALSTRENGTH

Dove Men+Care has been a sponsor for all 4 years of the Dad 2.0 Summit, and a title sponsor for the last 3 years.  I am continually impressed by their commitment to the Dad 2.0 community.  In that time period, I don't think they've talked to me once about the merits of their product, or asked me to shill for them/help them sell product.   They have not been about sales at all.  They have asked me to engage about creating a world of better fathers, of celebrating excellent examples of evolved masculinity, and in general help create a better world.  And I do that happily.  They have proved through their actions that they are on the side of the angels, and that they have a long view of their marketing strategy/world, and I appreciate them for that.  (And I actually won a contest/doorprize-- first one ever!  So there is that.)

2. LUCAS-FILMS VISIT

It was just saw awesome to visit the LucasFilms Studio, see so many of the collectible Star Wars items, and posters, and memorabilia, and get to kind of see where all the magic happens.  It was especially exciting that we got on the inside and saw some embargoed material from the upcoming Lego Star Wars TV episodes (my lips and computer are sealed!)  Although I'm not a huge Star Wars-o-phile, I do love the world, it appealed to my geeky nature, and I felt like a Boss!



3. COMMUNITY- AGAIN AND AGAIN

Evolution of the modern man .#choreplay

Being a blogger/entrepreneur/involved dad is not easy, and being in a community of great guys who are going through a lot of the things I'm going there, have already gone through it and lived to tell the tale, or are about to go through it just like I just did is a boon to me. The group is a great group of guys, with a lot of wisdom, and a lot of bonhommie.  And it helps. It's easy to feel isolated when you work by yourself, or when your primary company during the day is your child.

At the end of the conference (The Esquire Network beer party), everybody seemed to be having a great time, and for whatever reason, I caught myself feeling a little sad and a lot alone. Not sure why-- although I think part of it was missing my family a little.  At any rate, I
was looking at the rest of the guys having fun, and wondering "Have I missed it? Am I not part of the group? How come I'm not having the same kind of fun as everyone else?"  I went back to my room, and had the thought that maybe I should just stay in, and wallow.  Long story short, I pushed myself to not do that, I went down to the lobby, found a group that was going out to dinner, invited myself in a little, and ended up having a great time.  I also heard one of the funniest true life stories I've heard in a LONG time!

And afterwards, hanging around with a bunch of the "in" guys at the bar, I found myself in the thick of it, and having the good time I was afraid I wasn't having previously.  And I really connected with a couple of guys who I hadn't really talked to all conference.

"These are not the dads you are looking for"

4.  DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK
A couple of the sessions were about being proactive working with brands, and about negotiating to get what you want.  Time and time again, guys told the same story-- I wasn't sure if I was going to get the gig, the tickets, the work, but I asked anyway.  And I got it.  I know that I often don't go after opportunities thinking that I'm not exactly right for it, and I need to expand my wheelhouse, and get my number of asks up.  I am guessing I'll be surprised by how many yeses I get.  Somebody said this in one of the sessions:  "If you aren't getting a lot of No's, you aren't asking enough."  I think sometimes I tell myself No before I ask.  And this doesn't apply just to blogging.

5. INSPIRATION + ACTION PLAN
I always leave Dad 2.0 with a great deal of hope and inspiration.  Somehow I haven't done much differently by the time the next Dad 2.0 rolls around.  I am going to formulate an action plan and follow through on it this time.  (I may have told myself that last time too, so who knows)



I could probably list another 5 things, but I've got some sightseeing to do today before I head off to the frigid MidWest.

What were your takeaways?