Stu Saunders Presentations

Stu-Pendous Blog - Archives for January 2010

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

Is it just me?

Jan 27, 2010

Is it just me that thinks that the world is a little messed up? Am I the only one that questions the country that says it’s Christian and then sells a bobble head Jesus for 19.99 with proceeds going to the Christian Corp of America? Is it just me that wonders why people believe that they need to put others down to bring themselves up? Is there anyone else that wonders how the world will change and hopefully understand the need to do that dramatic change, when the current generation thinks that a real tragedy is not getting the new iPhone or the car on Thursday night? I must be the only one that is thinking that proroguing the Canadian Parliament until after the Olympics is irrational. There can’t be anyone else who thinks that there is more money is “trying” to find a cure for Cancer, MS and Parkinson’s then actually curing anything, so why bother! Is there any reason why Microsoft Word corrects the spelling of Oprah and not Ghandi. Where is the logic in the American Cancer society raising $146 million (or so) in fundraising in 2009 and the citizens of North America spending 2.8 billion on hand sanitizer in 9 months. I must be the only one that is questioning this.

Why are we so quick to think that what we see is what we get. Why is it that profit can be made off of fake Haiti fundraisers and it’s washed away in the news to celebrate Jennifer Aniston’s 5 year anniversary of being separated from Brad Pitt. Is there a reason we attach such weight to such gossipy drivel? Is there no one else questioning why hollywood actors band together to raise money for Haiti yet there are still tens of thousands in New Orleans that don’t have adequate housing? Wouldn’t it be a better headline that read “New Orleans wins battle against poverty, homelessness and hurricane devastation” than “New Orleans wins battle over Minnesota”? Why is that we have to wait for Haiti to be devastated before we realize they need help? Do you think Sierra Leone is praying for a tsunami so George Clooney can raise them 30 million dollars?

Is it just me that thinks real leadership has to start by looking in the mirror, turning the channel and sweeping our own doorstep? Maybe it is. Maybe I am the only one. I hope I am not. We need to look at the BIG picture. Trust me it’s giant and I seem to be looking through a panoramic lenses. Of course, it could just be me.

Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Jan 27, 2010 at 5:23 pm | Permanent Link | Comments (4)
Mooooove over

Jan 18, 2010

I have been working on my idea of the “Herd Mentality”. This thought is that most humans move together in what they do and how they act based on the Herd, everyone else around them. I believe this to be true because I see it every day. Every where we go there are a plethora of examples.

I was in Costco with my son a few weeks ago and it was packed, the parking lot was full and there were people roaming the isles with overstuffed shopping carts full of items that they really need in mass quantity. I mean who really doesn’t need 4, 2 litre jugs of olive oil?

As we picked up the two items we came for we approached the check out area. It seemed like every line was 20 people deep. People were mumbling and grumbling. My son and I squeezed our way through the herd to the middle. There were three lines with only a couple of people in them. We were quickly at the cashier paying for our couple of items and were on the way.

Matthew turned to me, (please keep in mind he’s 9) and said. “Why is everyone lined up in the long lines and not the short ones?”

True wisdom from a child! You can’t deny the obvious question. Here’s the thing, it doesn’t take much of a shift for us to get ahead of the crowd. To move away from the herd. Once we did we were successful in getting out of Costco and on our way to much more fun then waiting in line for 30 minutes. If you apply that same idea to life you will find that it doesn’t have to a massive chage in thinking, your actions, your habits to take you to the next level.

So next time you are feeling like you’re part of a herd trying MOOOOOOving to the left or right and see if you can’t free yourself up a little.

Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Jan 18, 2010 at 8:53 am | Permanent Link | Comments (2)
Moments that matter

Jan 10, 2010

Being a single father you realize how lucky you had it before the separation. I don’t mean the relationship I had with my partner but the access every day to my children. When you’re married you find lots to do that doesn’t involve spending time with the kids. You are busy, you have work to do, there is something “else” to do.

“I’ll be there in a minute…” is a far to common phrase that resonates through too many households.

I am granted access to my children for a total of 66 hours once every two weeks. When you take out sleeping, 26 hours and the drive 12 hours, I have the opportunity to spend 26 hours with my kids. That’s less then 3 days per month of “face time”.

Somewhere over history our court system has deemed this an adequate amount of time to build and maintain a quality father, child relationship. Well I am here to say that it really isn’t. It’s actually completely the opposite. Since there is not much chance of this changing and parents being considered equal, fathers that do care need to create “MTM’s”, moments that matter.

Running a camp I get to work with so many young staff that come from single parent homes. I’ve asked many of them about how they remember growing up with having to live with two parents. So many have said the times they spent with their father were so amazing, or they remember those time with such clarity.

Why is that? It’s because a good single father needs to work to create so much in a very short time. It’s our job to create MTM’s every moment. If we don’t we risk being lost. It’s not a competition, it’s a responsibility.

So, last night my son and I got to enjoy a BIG MTM. I purchased two tickets at a charity auction for a Toronto Maple Leafs game and we watched them lose, it was a horrible game. The Leafs were abysmal. Here’s the thing though, our night was amazing and we created a true MTM.

The moment of clarity for me was when Matthew turned to me and said, “Dad, this is the best night of my life.”

Please understand that this is not meant to say that all fathers deserve equal access, there are many that do not. Each father is different and there needs to be less of a quick, one sided judgement. Until our courts realize that parents are of equal value and that a good father has an equal role in the upbringing of a healthy child, I will continue to find and create MTM’s for my children. I also encourage all parents not to take the time you have with your kids for granted. These days happen only once.

Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership Family Life Learning and Growing on Jan 10, 2010 at 8:08 am | Permanent Link | Comments (5)
New Day!

Jan 4, 2010

There’s a great quote I read today and posted on Twitter…

Today never occurred before, it will never be repeated. At midnight it will end, quietly, totally, forever. The hours between are full of possibilities.

It’s a new year, a chance to start over, to create new, to evaluate what has and what could happen.

I am not a fan of New Years resolutions. I am not a fan of the idea of January 1st being some whimsical day that has such significance that it can change our lives. It can’t. The day is irrelevant. It’s just a day. There are 12 firsts every year. There are 52 monday’s and of course we have 365 midnights. Each of these could be starting point… couldn’t it?

Here’s my theory, it’s just mine, it doesn’t mean it’s right.

Every minute of every day is a chance to start over. To create new habits, ideas, choices, friends. You can make January 5th a “New Year”... if you want. Please don’t get discouraged if you already have slipped on your 2010 resolutions, it really doesn’t matter. You can start again tomorrow. It’s brilliant, isn’t it? You have control of you, not Dick Clark, not some stat holiday, not some app on your iPhone… YOU! Chew on it, it’s a new way of looking at making resolutions of making change.

Happy New Year!

Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/ylccstu

Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Jan 4, 2010 at 9:01 am | Permanent Link | Comments (2)
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