“The fastest way to do the things you think you can’t do is to hang out with people already doing them.” Scott Dinsmore

Scott owned the room. We were at a bar in Portland, Oregon, for the Live Your Legend Meetup prior to WDS 2014. Hundreds of people in the room, and Scott walked around with his beautiful wife entertaining, meticulously connecting people to one another, introducing everyone. He was having a blast, smiling, and when he got up to give a speech about how amazed he was that this community existed in this way, and how LYL local groups around the world had converged, and how proud that made him, I was in tears. 

I met Scott and his wife Chelsea in Portland at the World Domination Summit in 2014 for the first time. Scott awarded me the ticket  to WDS through his How to Connect With Anyone course.

I’ll never forget the call when he announced this news to me and the H2CWA community. I was floored. It was sold out, and had been on my “list” for two years. That opportunity would not have existed without Scott, nor would I have met some of the best people I’ve ever known. And that’s the type of person he was.

That weekend changed my life. Scott had a way of making people feel so special. Whether it was a gathering with 5 people or 500. I wish I could remember every moment of our conversation on top of that hotel the following evening with a group of Live Your Legend community members. I do remember he and Chelsea ordering Vegan food. His love for food really was very real. These memories definitely make me smile now.

These are the memories that will forever be instilled in my brain about Scott – memories from the first — and so tragically, the last — time I would see him in real life. It’s still hard to believe that one human being can make such an impact on the world.

I’m still in shock, and sadness, but wanted to share some of the things I learned from Scott. He is someone who leaves a legacy so strong and had an impact on hundreds of thousands of people in this world, who will surely carry that on.

Ten Things I Learned from Scott:

  1. Find and do work you love. This TEDx talk Scott gave was my first introduction to him about three years ago. Life changing.
  2. Treat everyone as though he or she is a friend you haven’t met yet.
  3. The magic of life happens in real life – not online connections, but real, raw, in person meetups.
  4. Surround yourself with people who refuse to let you fail.
  5. Make people feel special. Scott used to go to the bank and get $2 bills so he could leave them as tips for people – people love $2 bills, what better way to make someone’s day?
  6. Be grateful. Scott was grateful for his community, grateful for his friends, his family, his wife Chelsea – everyone that crossed his path, he had gratitude towards.
  7. Add value. Scott was big on adding value to other people’s lives, and he did this in so many ways for everyone he met, including myself.
  8. Share your story and ask other people about theirs. Ask questions.
  9. “Do the thing you can’t not do.” Scott often said this when referring to choosing a career or passion project. I can still hear him saying this in my head. It’s not ‘how could I do that’ — it’s ‘how could I not.’
  10. Be genuine. I can’t imagine anyone else in this space of personal, professional, and business development, who made such an impact on my life, who is as genuine as Scott. Hands down.

As I spent the last few days reading posts about Scott and learning about some of the people whose lives he touched, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks last night and realize that Scott would want us to put our devices away, and go out in the world and connect with each other.

I put my phone away for the rest of the night, and just enjoyed being with friends, disconnected. I think that being able to influence someone’s decision even after you are gone is the epitome of what a legacy should be. And Scott definitely lived his life that way, so we will continue to carry on his legacy for many years to come.

***

Scott, being part of Live Your Legend and the community you built… it literally changed my life. I am incredibly grateful that I had the chance to know you and get to know Chelsea as well. For your generosity and companionship and excitement. Your compassion, positivity, love for life, joy in bringing people together, and teaching others how to connect and live their passion, will forever live on through the lives of all of those you touched. You are the prime example of someone who truly created his legacy.

Chelsea and the Dinsmore family – my prayers and thoughts go to you now and forever.

Other posts about Scott that really resonated with me: 

Community Call and Written Tributes For Scott – Links to probably hundreds of posts on the Live Your Legend Site

When An Internet Friend Dies – Chase Reeves wrote the most beautiful tribute I have ever read in my entire life. In fact I re-read it about a hundred times over the past few weeks. This excerpt is simply perfect:

“Scott, even though he was literally extraordinary, felt like he was just one step ahead of you; like you were exploring some ancient ruin and he pauses just in front of you, taking a big breath and turning toward you with a cheezy dad-with-daughters kind of smile to say, ‘oh man, you gotta see it from up here,’  before giving you a hand up.” Chase Reeves

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After taking Scott’s H2CWA course in 2013, I made this for Scott as a “thank you” by snagging one of his Instagram photos of him and his dad that I loved, and adding a quote from Scott’s TEDx Talk. He always spoke SO highly of his family, and I think this picture speaks a thousand words on it’s own.
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With Scott the first day we met in real life, at the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon, in 2014. It was through his course that he awarded me a ticket to WDS, and once again he changed my life.
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