The STU-PENDOUS BLOG!

I have been away for awhile. Sorry about that. Very busy, holiday season and busy camp preparations. I am so excited for the new year. 2007 will be fantastic (notice I said ‘will be’), our camp is bustling with excitement, phones ringing and campers registering. It has been fun.

Last week I took a night off and took my staff and my family out for a night in Toronto. We went to see a dear friend of mine in the recent production of Aladdin at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto. It was great, Emily loved it and Kristina laughed so hard I could hear her at the end of the row 7 seats away. It was a magical night. I try and take my children to live theatre as often as I can. It’s important to show kids there are different options for entertainment other then television and video games. Emily was all dressed up in a dress and we explored to theatre together. She saw where the “Royalty” would sit and we met the conductor of the Orchestra.

After the show was over, we went to the backstage and got to meet the cast. Such a great time, Emily getting autographs from Aladdin, the Princess and of course the Genie. The magical Genie was played by non-other then Bret the Hitman Hart. Well, after Emily was done, I had to get a pose with my friend Jonathan and the legend Brett. He was so nice, so kind. Took the time to talk to Emily. She was so excited. As we all said goodbye I realized that none of that would have been possible without the friendships that I had built in school. The foundation you build as a young person is so important. The more solid the foundation, the higher you can build your dreams.

Journal Time! Read, write it and answer it. In your journal and here on the BLOG!

What are you going to continue to do or start doing to build a solid foundation? You an start anytime you want at 10, 15, 20, 30 or 50 or even 75. What are you going to do today?

Today’s picture is from that wonderful night. That’s me, Brett the Hitman and Jonny.

For more information on YLCC or STU Saunders Speaking go to www.ylcc.com

How can three days change so much in someones life. Actually to be honest, a single second can change your life. In the last three days I have gone from being healthy and happy, to be sick and tired, then back to awake.

I got the 24 hour flu and it killed me…. (not for real, or I wouldn’t be here typing this), I really don’t like being sick. I like being healthy. I work hard to maintain my health and my energy. Get up early, eat a vegetarian diet, work out as much as I can (not as much as I would like) and spend lots of time outside.

When you get sick the universe is telling you to slow down, to re-evaluate to cleanse. I feel though, that after a real bad bout of the flu, which I don’t get very often, I need to take the situation and treat it like a clean sweep. A chance to start fresh.

The funny (or maybe really cool) part of me getting sick was at the same time as I was feeling horrible I was communicating with my colleague Gordon at www.robinsharma.com as we where putting the finishing touches on the “youth leadership” section of the website. It was like a brand new chapter about to be written. A chance to really start-a-new.

It has already been a success. We have received dozens of inquiries about our camp. From all over the world. The potential is exciting and almost limitless.

I received an email today from Robin that said the more people we help, the more we will receive. Interesting. True, I always have said “be the kindest person you can be, and the world will come to you”.

I believe that. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Today’s question, read, write it and share it here on the STUpendous BLOG!

If you could start over the day, the week, the month or the year. What would you have done differently?

http://www.robinsharma.com/youth_leadership.htm

I have been so busy lately, writing, creating and dreaming. My life has taken a dramatic turn of late. I have so much to be thankful for.

Why? Today (December 7, 2006), we are launching our partnership with Robin Sharma and Sharma Leadership International (SLI). As of sometime thi afternoon, you will be able to register for YLCC through www.robinsharma.com. Here’s the cool thing, I started this idea about 1 year ago. I started emailing Robin Sharma after reading The Monk Who Sold his Ferarri, it wasn’t the first book by Robin that I had read. For some reason that book really inspired me to pursue the idea that YLCC (my company) and SLI could be partners. Robin already provided some of the most sought after leadership development programs in the world, hired by such companies as RIM, NASA, Nike, Microsoft and many more. YLCC already was providing world-class programs for youth. It was a match made in leadership heaven.

After many meetings and many emails and many calls, YLCC and SLI are now partners. One thing that made it very real was after a meeting with SLI, their director of Business Development said to me, “Stu this is happening because you have tenacity!”

Tenacity, is a virtue, a skill of never giving up, never accepting no as an answer. You would be surprised how many people give up after a single rejection. If I would of given up, I wouldn’t be writing this BLOG today! Never give up. If you believe in it, fight for it.

Here’s today’s question… read it, write it and answer it. Post some comments here in the BLOG!

What have you in your life fought for? What do you wish you had fought for? What will you fight for now?

Today’s pic is of that day I met Robin.

For more information on Robin Sharma go to www.robinsharma.com

When I was a child and my parents split, my mom wanted to create a new family tradition. So on that first Christmas we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve. We did it for the next 10 years. Loved it.

When I was in high school, we wanted to leave our mark on the school so myself and the other Students’ Council members started an outdoor bonfire peprally, right out of a movie! They continued it for years.

When I started my camp (YLCC) we had so much rain on our campfire night that we had to have an indoor campfire. It was wonderful. We are still doing it 14 years later.

Traditions start for many reasons. My mom’s Christmas tradition started out of trying to create a fresh start, my high school tradition started out of wanting to leave a mark and my camp’s tradition started out of necessity, by chance.

When I got seperated from my wife I wanted to start something special for my family so for the last 5 Christmas seasons on the first saturday of December we have “Festive Saturday” this is a time when friends and family (really whomever is around) gathers and we go cut a tree down, we eat well, and we laugh a lot. We also have to always wear red! This year was a success, a really wonderful day.

Traditions help create anticipation, they bring people and ideals together. They are something that everyone should have in their lives. If you want to create one, do it! They are simple to do. Here is the formula; Do it once, then next year people will say “we did this last year it was fun”. The third year people will say “we always do this, it’s a tradition”. 

Here is today’s question. Write it down, answer it and post some of your thoughts in the STUpendous blog! 

What traditions do you have? What traditions do you want to start?

Today’s picture comes from that wonderful Festive Saturday!

For more information on YLCC or Stu Saundrs Speaking contact info@ylcc.com