Gimli Recon

Last weekend, Kaitlyn and I decided to go up to Gimli to surprise a special lady friend of mine (... my girlfriend). Lindsey was working at the sailing regatta up there and had no clue that we were spying on her for 40 minutes before we showed ourselves. We used the time for some sneaky reconnaissance in order to achieve and ensure a satisfying surprise! Creepy, I know... but it was super fun and she was excited that we came. Anyway, we figured out how we were going to surprise her as we went along, so check this vlog out! Enjoy.

Why You Need to Fail

Holy smokes. I've been away on a fortnight's hiatus from blogging it appears... (I know eh? 14 DAYS!) Who knew summer would be busier than the school year? Well, it's really not that hard to believe because I have a job during the summer, unlike when I'm in school where I procrastinate and avoid all work till the last minute (allowing for a lot of blogging)!

Anyways, today I was waiting to see an advisor at UofM, so naturally I was on my phone and came across a very interesting article from Relevant Magazine. It explained how failure is a crucial stepping stone to success. I totally agree. The article says everything perfectly, so I'll just sit back and give you the link to it...

Why You Need to Fail

So read it and let me know what you think!
Here are a couple excerpts that stood out to me:

Life Lesson: "The crucible of loss forges the crucial resilience that fuel a consistently fully engaged life. Adversity introduces us to ourselves." - Pat Conroy

John Busacker on the most important characteristic of a successful leader: "She or he must have been broken—physically, spiritually, professionally, personally, relationally—and then gotten up, dusted themselves off and continued forward with the wisdom from that loss seared in both mind and heart. I would never follow a leader that is unbroken. He or she lacks the compassion and humility to lead others."

J.K. Rowling on her personal experience: "Failure meant the stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than who I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me."

I think it's time I focus more on what can be learned from my failure.

Jenny Shepherd - Forever Hold My Heart

If you haven't read some of my latest tweets, my cousin Jenny entered the UCB Canada 2011 Talent Scan with her song "Forever Hold My Heart" and made it through the top ten cut to the TOP THREE! Craziness. If she wins, she'll have the chance to professionally record it in a top-end studio. So please head over to ucbcanada.com and VOTE for her! Just follow that link! Do it. Vote once tonight and once before 10 am central time tomorrow. MUCH APPRECIATED. (Who doesn't love hyping family?)

Here is her song (you can also listen to it on the voting site)... ENJOY:

Jenny Shepherd - "Forever Hold My Heart" by mannyg