Stu Saunders Presentations

Stu-Pendous Blog - Archives for November 2008

These are the thoughts of speaker, author and camp director Stu Saunders.
For Stu’s original blog, you may still access his archives here.

Impossible

Nov 20, 2008

It’s hard to guess if the new President-Elect will be as great as many people believe that he will be. It’s hard to predict if he can or will bring great change to the United States and the world. There is no way to say if he will be “successful”.

There is one thing that we can say for sure. The fact that he was elected is one of the most significant political/democratic changes that has happened in the last 100 years. It’s perhaps bigger for me and my generation because we weren’t there during MLK, no really able to understand the importance of Mandela or Ghandi. We had seen great leaders like Terry Fox and Bono (I know he’s up for debate with some). Though to watch a man rise from obscurity to the highest office in the US and one of the most powerful positions in the world is truly an inspiration. To see the celebrations that took place on the streets of not only America but around the planet made me weep.

I believe the world is tired of war, greed, hunger and sadness. The idea of one man being able to change the planet is daunting but still exciting. Nothing is impossible. If you would have turned to Martin Luther King in the sixties and said… “In about 40 years a black man will be President.” he may have said it was possible but the vast majority would have said “Impossible!”

If there is one thing that I have learned it’s that nothing is impossible. You decide, you create your future. What do you want to do? What future do you see for yourself. American’s have a habit of saying, “Only in America!”. Although I do believe that America is a place that was founded with the ideal of possibilities, if you look around the world, in all sorts of countries, you will find incredible stories of people that have done the impossible. The country is irrelative, it’s the person and their will to survive, to succeed, to do more.

I believe in you! Do you believe in you? Stop saying that you can’t… I believe that you can.

One of my favourite parts of the campaign was a video/song that will.i.am created based on the “Yes we can!” speech. Below is the follow up to that song. If you can’t see it it’s on youtube

Start today, be possible, yes you can!

Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership Learning and Growing Motivation on Nov 20, 2008 at 11:01 am | Permanent Link | Comments (3)
Small Packages

Nov 17, 2008

Great things can come in SMALL packages. Think about a diamond ring in a little box… changes a life forever. Sometimes those small things can be people.

A few years ago a young boy by the name of Bilaal Rajan attended YLCC for a week of camp. We knew he had great ideas and was full of drive and hope. Little did we know what he would go on to do. Last week he released his first book at age 12… yes that’s correct 12. He has travelled the world educating people about HIV/Aids. He has developed an Empowerment Workshop. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. He is a reminder of what we can be, what we all should be.

So as you party this weekend, spend tons of money on things that won’t really matter in a few years or even months, stop and think…

“Am I living the life I could be living?”

Be great, be amazing, be all you can be with this gift called life. Thank you for inspiring me Bilaal! Visit his website for more information or to buy his book. http://www.bilaalrajan.com

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Nov 17, 2008 at 8:57 am | Permanent Link | Comments (4)
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