Singing the post-conference blues

I’m curious. If you could bottle a feeling, what would it would be? For me, it’s either that can-do attitude I feel post-workout or the nothing-can-stop-me-now inspiration I feel post-conference. (Wow, that’s a lot of hyphens.)

But since no one has figured out how to do that, the trick is leveraging those bursts of awesomeness as long as possible. And having just spent last week at the Nonprofit Technology Conference, you know I’m on a mission to do just that. So how did I spend my first Monday post-conference? What’s my strategy for keeping the energy ball rolling?

Writing gratitude notes. That’s right, taking a minute to say thank you to the people that inspired a-ha moments or challenged the status quo. And I do it for two reasons. The first is to reflect on what I found most helpful during sessions, hallway conversations, and the dance floor (true story) and the second is to remind me that I don’t do this work alone. And when I get stuck, these are the amazing do-gooders I would tap to get unstuck. So it’s really not just a thank you for making my brain work, it’s also an advanced thank you for future brilliance.

Why’s that so important? Because having something to look forward to totally fills my bottle. That and a dash of unabashed hope, which I don’t need a conference to find.