Sunday, April 30, 2006

Look In The Mirror!

There are two types of people… I know there may actually be thousands of different types of people but in my mind there are only two. Those who want to truly succeed and those who truly have no desire to live a life greatness. They may say they do but they do not. This can be translated to almost anything and anyone.

Here is an example… I had a friend that always complained about the way the world was being “destroyed” by the Walmarts and the Starbucks of the world. They would say that the people who shop at American Eagle were horrible people. Now there may be some truth to some of the negative practices that some of these companies undertake, but and it is a HUGE but, when you simply complain about something it has an incredible way of accomplishing nothing.

I know that I am not going to change the way that Walmart is running their business, but I can change the way that I run my life and my business. Here is another example… why not clean up your neighbourhood? Why not clean up the grafitti on the walls on the buildings downtown? Why not go for a walk in the woods and bring a garbage bag with you? Why not spend extra time with your children, turn the TV off, stop playing the Xbox, and read a book to your child or play outside or give your friend a call. Perhaps if each of us stopped complaing and yelling and we started doing and talking we could change the world.

I know that I can take control! I can stop swearing and using foul language, I can choose to eat healthier, I can choose to drop the word “HATE” from my vocabulary. I can’t stop how American Eagle buys their clothes, I can though teach my children that it is unacceptable to treat people with dissrespect.

Start doing and stop waiting!

Today’s picture is of my dear friend SuLa. She spent Easter weekend at our camp and created a list of activities that she wanted to DO! Among them was sleeping in one of out teepee’s, creating a new game to help our campers learn communication and problem solving, go for a walk along the water and fly a kite… If you want to CHANGE THE WORLD… LOOK IN A MIRROR. It’s a great place to start!

Posted by STU-PENDOUS Blogging at 20:08:27 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Friday, April 14, 2006

Inspiration From Afar

I never cease to wonder how some people think they know it all. I certainly know that I do not! I am constantly learning, I am always seeking new ideas and ways of looking at situations. The second you assume you are perfect or know everything you start to lose.

Arrogance is a killer… it infects us and makes it harder and harder to succeed. There are so many examples of people that are talented and skilled but have no time to accept critiscim or learn a new idea. The thought that someone else may have an idea or a possible different approach is laughed at by these people.

Not me! I want it, I want to learn and grow and be told that I can do better. Why reinvent the wheel?

“I have stood on the shoulders of giants!” - Isaac Newton

I would say that Isaac knew a thing or two, but he recognized that there were people that could help and teach him. Places and people he could build off of. I think that Newton was fairly successful….

Today I read the travel blog of one of our camp staff (and fellow speaker) Phil Doucette. He is currently traveling in Japan and made a comment in his BLOG that he had huge spiritual impact while visiting a temple. Phil knows (and I have watched him learn it) that you can grow and become stronger from those around you! Check out Phil’s Travel Blog he has also taken some very moving and powerful pictures.

Keep learning and keep growing… you have only yourself to benefit!

Today’s Pic is from my travel from Princeton to Hope BC. You never know who or what you will meet! I got real close to these guys!

 

Posted by STU-PENDOUS Blogging at 22:23:44 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday Gone, Tomorrow Waiting!

So I have been travelling around BC of late and recently was in the small town of Princeton. This is a mountain town, right in the middle of the mountains. You have to take a beautiful highway drive through the Rockies just to get there.

I spoke a both the elementry school and the high school, both were very small. The grade school had 143 students and the highschool had 234. I have spoken at smaller schools in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota. What makes this town different is the how the town has shrunk in size, 10 years ago the high school had around 700 students there used to be 5 schools in this once bustling mining town. Now the mines have closed and people have moved away.

Inbetween the presentation I had a chance to have lunch with the principal of the the Elementry school. While we were there he pointed out that the man sitting across from us was the town mayor. He was discussing the big news from the weekend, it seems that the oldest hotel and bar had burned down over the weekend. The Golden Nugget was over 100 years old and had burned right down to the ground. There were rumours, as there is any small town, about what had happened.

After lunch I ventured down to see the hotel… surrounded by tape and RCMP there wasn’t much left. I walked around and took a few photo’s. The site was sad, so much history, gone. I spoke to one of the residents, and older lady who put it all in perspective.

“Maybe now that’s gone we can move on and fix this town!”

She had been living in Princeton all her life and remembered the “good times”. She went on to say that many people had spent the last 10 years angry and complaining that things hadn’t gone the way of the town. What they should of been doing was finding a way to may sure the city survived.

It’s like life, many people will spend there whole lives complaining about the past. Angry about what happened to them and what didn’t go their way. The reality is the past is GONE! The great thing is that every day we can move forward and change ourselves, our direction. In the end the only person that is truly to blame for where you are is… you.

So get up and look in the mirror and decide to make a change, learn from yesterday do not blame it!

Today’s picture is of what’s left of the Golden Nugget Hotel. By the way, I had a great time with the students of Princeton. If the town elders need any reason to make changes, look to your young people!

Posted by STU-PENDOUS Blogging at 16:30:19 | Permalink | Comments (1) »