I’ve been excited to see Amber Naslund on the keynote stage since we first found out she’d be speaking. Last year, I saw her and Jay Baer speak about concepts in their book, The Now Revolution. Her keynote at BlogWorld LA 2011 had one very strong message that we all need to remember: We are the people defining the future of business.

If you want to check out Amber’s entire presentation, consider our virtual ticket option. Here are some of the key points from her speech:

• We crave proof and run away from the unknown because comfort builds confidence.

We’re not afraid of failure as much as we’re afraid of blame. The stuff business have always done is what people cling to because at least they know what the outcome will be. But in this day and age, standing still will eventually lead to death. It’s our job at the forefront of this industry to take people into the future.

• “It’s not the era of experts. It’s the era of inquisitors. It’s the era of the curious.”

We applaud children for being full of wonder. Why can’t we get back to that point? In order to move forward in business, we have to be willing to question everything around us and be curious about the results.

• We need to be part of the solution, not just pointing out the problems.

It’s fantastic for those of us in the new media world to point out problems, but we also have to offer an alternative path. If what businesses are doing is wrong, what can they do that will be better? Our job is to define the next step.

My favorite quote of the night came close to the end. Amber told her own story of how, with just two month’s savings in the bank and a one-year-old daughter, Amber quit her rat race job. She didn’t even have much of a plan of where to go next. While she asserted that this is not the best path for everyone, you do need to take risks. Or, as Amber put it, “Sometimes you need to take a step on the path before you see where it’s going to lead.”

Check out more about Amber here.