Youth Leadership Camps Canada

STU-Pendous Blog

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

• Oink, Oink

  Nov 3, 2009

  Here are my thoughts on the current H1N1 flu. I was reading today on the “Facebook” and saw some 22,000 plus people had joined a group called close schools because of the swine flu. I had to join and I had to read the wisdom behind this suggestion. Well there is none. They do have a fancy, very scary logo though.

  Here’s my take.

  The Logo is dumb, the hype is dumb, the billions of dollars being made off this “pandemic” is dumb, the whole thing is dumb! Thousands die every year from the flu… and car accidents, cancer, aids, being hit by busses… why not put all of the students, teachers, hyper reactive parents in a padded room and let them live out their days being fed a liquid diet so they don’t choke! This is the most asinine over-blown media driven event ever (except SARS, Bird Flu, Mad Cow, Y2K and soon 2012). God help us if we have a real global crisis. It’s sad that people get sick and die… but this is not the global emergency that we have spread. If schools wanted to do something of value then make a massive effort to ban smoking within 2 km’s of your school. Way more people will die from lung cancer then will ever die from the swine flu.

  I was in mexico at the height of the scare last spring and came back with sure enough… H1N1. I survived, I stayed home for a couple of days and now I am living to type this BLOG. Please people, parents (that’s me too), media, school’s and school boards take a deep breath (somewhere away from anyone who might be coughing) and calm down. We will be ok.

  Wash your hands, drink liquids, take natural vitamin C and don’t share your pepsi…. you (the VAST, VAST majority) will live!

  PS the drug companies are about to make over 4 billion dollars… hmmm

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Nov 3, 2009 at 9:30 am | Permanent Link | Comments (1)

• Moments of Clarity

  Oct 23, 2009

  Have you had them? Do you ever find yourself say… “Yes! That’s it.”?

  When you do, you need to jump on those moments. You need to embrace those moments. I am searching for one right now. The winter is coming, blah, it’s a time that I always start to question my future. What do I want to do with the next 20 years. I am approaching my 20th anniversary of what I do. Working in and with schools. 20 years, 2 decades that is a long time. I am truly blessed to have a good team and a wonderful support system. We have amazing clients and even more amazing staff. This year we worked with thousands and thousands of young leaders. It’s amazing what we do. I wonder if it’s what I want to do for the next 20 years.

  This is not bad, it is a healthy question. One you need to ask frequently. Am I happy? Nothing is perfect. There are always ways to make it better. You can grow exactly where you are planted. Change can come not from always moving, complaining or quitting but from attitude and approach.

  I like that.

  I think I just a had one of those moments.

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Goal Setting Leadership Learning and Growing Motivation on Oct 23, 2009 at 3:39 am | Permanent Link | Comments (1)

• Thankfulgiving

  Oct 12, 2009

  This is Thanksgiving across Canada. In the US you have to wait until November. Either way this holiday is the least commercial of all. We tend not to give presents to our children, we don’t spend thousands of dollars trying to out do the neighbours in decorating the homestead.

  This is the perfect time of year to live the holiday. Write a list of what you are most thankful for. The people, your home, your job, your family and friends. Make that list and try and make it at least 20 items long. If you can do more (I believe you can do 100 if you stopped and thought about it), do more! We have all heard of the law of attraction, what you give you get. The more thankful you are the more you will see return back to you. I truly believe this.

  Here are my top 20 things that I am thankful for:

  Emily, Matthew, Kristina, Mom, Patrick, Ange, Laura, Trisha, Craig, Arlie, Jack, CJ, Rich, Brenda, Erin, Ian, Iain, Shannon, Johnny, ORNJ, Robin S, Jason A, my home, my camp staff, my drinking water, my country, my health (usually), Rich S, trees, nature, hand written cards, the ability to read and write.

  Thanks way more then 20 but there are actually close to 100 on my list right now. Make a list and be honest about it. Then read it out aloud. Don’t be shy. Share the list with your family and challenge them to do the same.

  Thanks to you the reader of the STUpendous BLOG! I would love to read your list so post it here!

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Oct 12, 2009 at 7:58 am | Permanent Link | Comments (4)

• MAXimum leadership

  Sep 21, 2009

  The other night I was at the local fall fair and the kids I were roaming around trying to find some healthy food choices, besides yummy Corn Dogs. We noticed the big show that night was the actual North American Touring cast of Disney’s High School Musical Summer Celebration. Right away the children looked up with their best Puppy Dog eyes… “PLEASE!!!!”

  Tickets were $30 each… four of us would be $120!! I said sorry but no. It’s ok to say no to children (big lesson for some parents and children).

  We continued to wander around when a young child, around 8 years old, tapped us on the shoulder.

  “Excuse me miss, would you like these?”

  Ange my partner, looked down to see this young leader holding out four tickets to that night’s musical production, fifth row!

  “Can we give you anything for them?” asked Ange.

  “No, we can’t go and we want you to have them!”

  Then he and his mom smiled, turned and walked away into the hustle and bustle of the fair!

  Max, this young man, demonstrated selfless leadership. Giving without taking. We must have said thank you 5 times. He just smiled and said “No problem!”

  What do you do on a daily basis to give without receiving. Wouldn’t the world be better with more of that? I think so!

  Side note: Thanks for the comments on the video’s, you are to kind. Here is the link for Day two of the video journal http://bit.ly/3O9tYY

  In leadership,

  STU!

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Sep 21, 2009 at 8:31 am | Permanent Link | Comments (2)

• Goodnight but not goodbye

  Sep 2, 2009

  Hello leaders of the world. I am so sorry about not posting for almost two months. I was away, home every night, gone most days and dreaming deeply each night. I had the opportunity to see the future, to contemplate the past and live gloriously in the present. Yes I was at summer camp!

  This summer over 1000 campers came through the gates of Youth Leadership Camps Canada. They came from a dozen different countries and varied backgrounds. They came to learn, to lead, to laugh and to share themselves with each other.

  It was a banner summer. The best in the 17 years that YLCC has been in operation. There were many tears on Saturday as campers left for their homes and sunday as most of the staff went their separate ways. The rewards that are given to the staff are endless. It’s up to them and the campers to continue to share in the lessons learned.

  I want to thank everyone, the staff, campers and parents that made the camp so successful. A few summers ago a former staff member quit saying the camp wouldn’t be successful without them. They were the reason we were success. Since they left the camp has more then tripled its size and now has two locations. I am not saying anything negative about that person but the one thing I learned this summer is that YLCC is a success because of a larger group of people that work SO hard together to make the magic happen. One person alone can not succeed without the help of others.

  Terry Fox had to have someone drive the van. YLCC doesn’t succeed because it’s located in Oro-Medonte (Orillia). It succeeds because people care.

  We are already planning for the 18th year of summer camp. It will be a success again. It will grow some more. I will have less to do with that success. It will be a family that works together to Dream, to dare and to do and that is the magic that is YLCC!

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Sep 2, 2009 at 12:54 pm | Permanent Link | Comments (1)

• Turn the key

  Jul 6, 2009

  One of my favourite phrases that I heard from my dear friend Robin Sharma was the idea of “the power of start”.

  Simple concept but yet so true. In order for any change to happen in our lives we must simply start the process. We can hum and haw all we want. We can research and debate the pros and cons of any change, but the excitement doesn’t happen until we actually start the process. Don’t be afraid to start small. We call them 1% action steps, small, sometimes tiny little movements towards the goal. It may not seem like much but it’s the act of the start that gives us the momentum to push, to grow and to complete whatever it is that we are trying to accomplish.

  So start today, make the change, start your engine!

  PS - YLCC 2009 started today, it’s so exciting to watch the 100 new campers arrive with such energy and enthusiasm. They are about to start their journey of leadership!

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Goal Setting Leadership Learning and Growing on Jul 6, 2009 at 3:52 am | Permanent Link | Comments (3)

• Hallmark happiness

  Jun 21, 2009

  Here I sit on my deck on a beautiful sunny Sunday, I reflect on my good fortune. I have three children. All amazing and unique in their own ways.

  I am a single father and don’t get to see my kids nearly as much as I would like or probably should.

  Today is also Father’s day. The holiday was started in 1910 and became an official holiday in 1972 after president Nixon signed a congressional resolution. It’s mostly celebrated in North America. The day really became big when the Hallmark greeting card company realized there was plenty of money to be made. More money is made on Mother’s day then Father’s day but there were no shortage of people lined up yesterday buying a card at the last minute.

  Please don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the idea of a day dedicated to recognizing the role of a father in a child’s life. Their role has been downplayed for most of history, their rights have been pushed aside in most custody cases. I am all for a one day “special” high five, a nice hand made card and a cup of tea made for me. I think though that we NEED to celebrate our loved ones; family, friends and colleagues every single day. It’s not in a card on a specific day that has great impact, it’s the phone call when you least expect it or the hand written note that arrives in October for no reason. Those are the moments that I would cherish much, much more.

  So today celebrate your dad, grandfather or friend who works hard to raise his children. The real challenge and gift is to do it again some other day, not on a calendar but in your heart.

  Please follow me on Twitter. I will be sending out a FREE Twitter Cast called “Breaking from the heard” on Friday for all those that are following me in Twitter.

  https://twitter.com/ylccstu

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Family Life Learning and Growing Motivation on Jun 21, 2009 at 12:06 pm | Permanent Link | Comments (2)

• Clarity

  Jun 17, 2009

  I miss journalling. I Journal. I should journal more. There’s so much to journal about! What do you journal about? Journal… is that a diary?

  So many of us live our lives like we drive cars. Sometimes it’s smooth and then sometimes we find ourselves spinning in a snow bank or deep mud. We are in a car (living a life), we are going somewhere (we have a job, family, car, vacation in the distant future), we are pressing down the gas (moving forward slowly), spinning and spitting up dirt and snow (making mistakes whilst moving in some direction). Eventually without persistence and dedication we give up, call a tow truck to pull us out (turn to quitting, drinking, sleeping, depression or plain anger). If we are lucky a car will stop and people will help push you out (teachers, friends, colleagues, coaches, ministers or parents).

  Why is it that some people never seem to get stuck in the “mud”? Why do some people drive 10 times more then we do and yet never seem to use their CAA/AAA card?

  Simple, they have more clarity. They have a clear and precise destination in mind. They have taken methodical steps to achieve their goals one at a time. Each time they get a little stuck they pull out their journal and reflect on the path they started from, the achievements that got them to where they are now. They look at the goal (end destination) and see if a course correction is needed. They ask the tough questions. They realize that to succeed in any part of life the more time you take to plan (journal, ask questions, adjust the course, become problem solvers rather then life blamers), the better the journey will be. What are the steps you take each day/week/month/year to take responsibility for your life?

  If the answer is none, not many or this sounds like stuff for chicks, you may want to reconsider the next thing you do or step you take. It can start now. Get more clarity.

  Get a journal, write the date and this statement… “At the end of my life I want to have accomplished these ten things…”

  Write the list, if more then ten, great! If less then ten keep asking yourself for more. This could be the first step in a beautiful adventure. Start now!

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Jun 17, 2009 at 12:16 pm | Permanent Link | Comments (3)

• Silence IS golden

  Jun 7, 2009

  I am away at a wonderful retreat just North of Toronto. Leaders from 15 nations have gathered to spend an intensive weekend with Robin Sharma. I strongly encourage you to visit his website to see all the amazing tools and resources that are available to you.

  We spent some time in silence yesterday. For some it was very hard to sit in absolute quiet, others embraced it.

  I haven’t written in so long. The longest I have gone in almost 4 years. Why? I think it’s because I had nothing really to say. I was so busy. Busy figuring out how not to be busy. Don’t we all do that sometimes?

  Spending time at this retreat, although I am a facilitator it is a rejuvination of my spirit. My 5 week absence has been 5 weeks of silence in a way. Time to think, reflect and focus.

  Take sometime today and sit in pure silence. Think about all the aspects of your life, everything. Write out what you are “busy” doing. Sometimes we find in the end that we don’t have to be. You can be quiet, it’s ok.

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Jun 7, 2009 at 9:28 am | Permanent Link | Comments (4)

• Positive Pandemic?

  Apr 30, 2009

  So much news over the last week about the Swine Flu. I am in fact a person that was in Mexico for the beginning of this “crisis”. I have been in quarantine for the last 5 days. I am fine. I feel as if the world is almost excited about the negative news. It got me thinking about a different type of pandemic… a positive one.

  What if we tracked positive acts that happened around the world. You would turn on the news and see a world map showing positive acts happening in real time. Instead of WHO (World Health Organization) there would be WPO (World Positive Organization).

  It would be so exciting not depressing. I am all for it, I think if we focused the amount of media time on positive actions rather then negative hype the world would be a better place…

  Ok I have to go now there’s an update on CNN about the positive flu…

  
  

  Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Apr 30, 2009 at 9:08 am | Permanent Link | Comments (1)

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