A dear friend asked me a month ago, “You going to Pioneer Nation?”

“Say what?”

“Chris G’s new conference…”

Then she sent me the link:

I’d been on the list for World Domination Summit tickets for two years but each time they came up for sale, I didn’t have the spare funds. This time, I had the money — and this was a conference specifically for soloprenuers. This was it.

I purchased a ticket within ten minutes of finding the event.

The wait for Pioneer Nation to arrive was excruciating.

Then, a week out, I caught the nasty cold that was going around. A week out, I thought, would be plenty of time for me to get better. I made sure to sleep a lot, take the days off I needed, and not push myself.

Then, when the Wednesday of the conference arrived, I woke up to a sore throat and laryngitis.

Tea & honey, water, rest, medicine, vitamins… everything short of leeches was called upon to fight back the monstrous illness.

What are the odds?

Well, I tried to buck up like any pioneer on the Oregon Trail would have done. I vowed not to interact with too many people (which, for this conference junkie, was pure torture!) And I had my friend there to “interpret” for me as needed.

The opening session was incredible and the people in attendance all rockstars in their own right. Soloprenuers and small businesses are the wave of the future, and these people are surfing ahead of the crowd.

By Thursday morning, I felt worse, but I was so energized and inspired, I knew I could endure. And the opening sessions and classes were incredible. The #proudfreak Chris Brogan kicked everything off and then other pioneers took the stage. (I’m a #proudfreak too.)

But by lunchtime, I ached, couldn’t stop coughing. I napped in my car for a few minutes but by the afternoon workshops, I knew I was more of a disruption than anything else. (I seriously avoided people as much as I could and covered myself in antibiotic gel every few minutes.)

I resigned and missed the last half of the day. I’d rest up and be there for all of Friday, I vowed.

Friday was far worse. I slept for less than an hour and couldn’t pinpoint the right mix of pharmaceuticals to combat the symptoms.

But by the afternoon sessions, I had found the right balance and snuck back into the conference.

I found an out-of-the way perch where I could still observe but not annoy my poor fellow attendees.

I was so glad to be able to see one of the speakers I was most looking forward to, Brian Clark of Copyblogger Media. I was also awed and amazed by the fabulous Willo O’Brien.

The entire three days of the conference was a rollercoaster. I knew there must be some lesson I should learn, but I’m still figuring that out.

Though I missed out on networking and half of the conference, I still:

• saw the other half
• survived (were we on the actual trail, I’m sure I’d be given up for dead)
• connected with people through social media — no voice needed there… just fingers and a keyboard
• found inspiration in the talks
• resolved to take even better care of myself

You can bet I’ll be at the next Pioneer Nation, with my voice intact and health restored. Two days later I’m still fighting this bug and barely pulled my head above the fog to blog.

Thank you to the team behind Pioneer Nation, especially the leader, Chris Guillebeau, who was kind enough to comment on my Instagram for me to feel better. I hated not to meet him in person, but I definitely didn’t want to share whatever I had. Next year! Until then, I have a lot of work to do, as inspired by my fellow pioneers.

Onward and upward. 

– Nicole