Last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend it attending Summit at Sea, a three-day conference which took place aboard a cruise ship sailing from Miami to a private island 150 miles off the coast of the Bahamas. Summit Series, as the organization is called, aims to bring together the best and brightest people who are “changing the world.”

When invited to Summit – I have to be honest – I was a bit skeptical. A former colleague of mine recommended me to the organizers and I was interviewed by a Summit Series team member, who made a big deal of the screening process and repeatedly echoed the prestige that accompanied the highly sought after invitation to the event. However, my skepticism proved completely unfounded.

The people I met at the event were the most impressive people I have come across in my life. The fact that there were a thousand of them, each one more impressive than the next in their accomplishments, completely humbled me and made me keep asking myself the question…”how did I get so lucky to be invited to this amazing event?” The attendees came from so many different industries: tech, entertainment and non-profits from around the world. And despite their shared entrepreneurial spirit, people weren’t focused on selling their products or services. They just wanted to get to know each other at a deeper level.

I thought I would share some important things that I learned at the event and some of my favorite moments:
-The fact that we were at sea and didn’t have cell service or internet for most of the time turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. People were engaged at all times – whether while listening to the inspirational speakers, during meals or during the many networking opportunities. The fact that we didn’t have access to the distraction of the outside world heightened the experience and what we got out of it. I am leading our national sales meeting next week and plan to insist that people check both their computers and cell phones at the door.

-Richard Branson kicked off the Summit with an interview by Chris Sacca, an early Google employee and venture capitalist. Branson delivered a powerful message that I heard echoed over and over again throughout people’s presentations through the weekend. The overarching message: success comes when people are following their passions. When Branson is evaluating opportunities, fun is a major factor in determining what Virgin focuses on, as he wants to make sure he can enjoy spending a lot of time being involved with a venture.

-Another important point I took away from Branson’s interview: “learn the art of delegation.” Hire people better than you and smarter than you and give them the autonomy to be successful.

-Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS Shoes, a company that donates a pair of shoes for every pair bought, was asked the one piece of advice he would give to people. His answer was “the more you give, the more you live.” The one common thread I found between so many people on the boat, besides their obvious successes in their industries, was their charitable contributions and belief in causes close to their hearts. I truly believe in this statement by Blake.

-The most inspirational speaker of the weekend, in my opinion, was Sean Stephenson, who was born with brittle-bones disorder and wasn’t supposed to live more than 24 hours. Sean was essentially crushed during the birth process and proceeded to have 200 fractures before he was 18 years old. Sean is 3 feet tall, weighs 55 pounds and is affectionately referred to as the “Three Foot Giant.” Sean comes across as the happiest person I have ever met. He truly loves his life and has chosen to not let his handicap run his life, but rather uses it as a gift to help inspire others. Sean explained to us that his confidence was built; he wasn’t born that way. He described himself as 55 pounds of love. He taught us that it is our energy and personality that people love, not the vessel that brings it. So it doesn’t matter what you look like. Rather, it’s all about the positivity and energy you bring from within that attract others and draws them to you.

-Another common thread I heard in the speakers’ presentations, including both Sean Stephenson’s and Gary Vaynerchuk’s, was the important role their parents played in their success. Their parents were completely supportive and loving and made them feel like they could achieve anything. I had many conversations with people during the trip about their parents’ support of them and almost everyone I talked to about this had the same message about the unconditional love and support they received.

-Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, gave a terrific presentation on happiness. He described the different types of happiness he’s discovered during countless hours of research. What he found was that people who have a higher sense of meaning and purpose in life have the deepest, most fulfilling feelings of happiness. Pleasure gives us the most short-lived sense of happiness and passion gives us happiness that lasts a bit longer. However, if you can find some greater purpose in life, your happiness will be long lived. He then compared happiness in individuals to happiness in corporations. He stressed the importance of companies establishing a higher sense of purpose and meaning and rallying everyone around these objectives. By doing so, employees will be happier and the company will have greater success.

There were so many other inspirational speakers that I haven’t even mentioned. There were also speakers that I didn’t get the chance to hear because a lot of the sessions were conducted at the same time, which forced tough decisions. I made great business contacts, and great friends. But most importantly, I came away feeling inspired and energized and empowered to make a change in the world.