038. The CCSL Part III: “The act of living joyfully”

Welcome to the final installment of my Canadian Conference on Student Leadership adventure! Today’s itinerary (and it’s going to be a lengthy one, so bear with me!) includes: a wonderful trip to Banff and Boundary Ranch, two amazing keynotes and a lesson in “positivism”.

Saturday: We started off our day with one last workshop session. I decided to attend “Positivism: How Love, Happiness and Compassion Change the World”. Just based on the title I knew it was right up my alley. Jenni Rempel (FTC Mobilizer and SFU student) re-introduced me to “the act of living joyfully” or what she calls, “positivism”. This very concept is something that I have strived to incorporate into every aspect of my life — I have found that is has made living easier and happier.  In short, What I loved most about her presentation was the she reminded me of the values I cultivated last year, but lost somehow during this semester.

Around 12pm we were off to Banff! After having been to Lights’ concert for the second time that week the night before, I plugged myself into my headphones and let her music be the soundtrack to the bus ride as the mountains rolled by outside my window. This was probably my favourite part about Calgary (not the conference, but the geographical area). When I had left the airport on Thursday and gotten into the cab that took us to the university, Calgary looked far too much like my hometown. It felt as though I hadn’t even left Brampton, ON. Seeing the mountains was a nice mix of boring, dry, suburban Ontario and beautiful, mountainous Vancouver. Needless to say, it felt like paradise…until we got off the bus. Three words to describe my experience getting off the bus: Banff is cold! But beyond beautiful (see image below!).

I explored Banff with a couple other friends for two hours before we boarded the buses and headed to Boundary Ranch, where homestyle dinner, a warm fire and our last keynote of the day awaited.

On the ride to Banff...

I would have to say that besides just being in the presence of my personal hero Craig Kielburger, Camille de Lacy was my favourite keynote. I felt that I connected most to her journey and the advice she had to offer. She centered her keynote around authentic leadership and what it means. It’s important to remember that it’s about the journey, and not the destination. The destination can change at anytime.

She reminded me that I will have different purposes at different times in my life, but in order to even discover these purposes I have to a) identify my gifts (I still don’t know what these are, but I’m slowly learning that it’s okay not to have all the answers), b) define my values (and allowing them to flux and flow, and change as I learn) and lastly, c) to discern my passions. It is only when I have those in place that I can even begin to understand what my leadership purpose is. And I’m not going to find that out by never  taking risks and trying something new. She helped me to see the difference (and the value) in discovering who I want to be and creating that person. Here are just a few tidbits of her amazing (and first) keynote about authentic leadership:

• It’s more important to have a guiding compass than a road map. Road maps change, and compasses help lead you back to the path you would like to be on. Don’t think so much about the steps in your life but allow things to unfold as you live and experience new things.
• Know the difference between a role model and a mentor, a person you have a relationship with. The former is the person you want to emulate. Learn about what they have that you admire and try to express that in your own life. Think about who you are learning from. Appreciate and understand the people that come into your life and help you on your journey. They may not all be the saving grace you’re looking for, but you’ll inevitable learn something from them.
• Remember to learn from your failures! I cannot stress this one enough. Failure teaches you about yourself and allows you to reevaluate your values and the journey you’re on. You may learn that that position you applied for, that job you really thought you wanted, you don’t really want in the end. You also have to allow other people to see your failures. Own them and integrate them into your guiding compass and your leadership style. People will not see you as authentic or someone worth learning from if they think you have never failed.
• On that note, practice humility. It’s that fine line between cockiness and confidence. Learn to laugh at yourself and own up to your mistakes, but don’t let them diminish your confidence.

Lastly, I want to leave you with this wonderful “Inuksuk of Leadership”:

Be self-aware and access the resources available to you, have a guiding compass and recognize the importance of the people in your life, these may lead you to your purpose. Don’t forget to incorporate these into your lifestyle. Being an authentic leader doesn’t just happen within your involvement positions on campus, but extends to every aspect of your life: your job, your friends, even your family. Most important, don’t forget to stand on the feet of accountability, humility, failure and integrity. Be grounded within these four aspects and you may find  a more balanced version of yourself.

Sunday: The day to end all days. Or just the most amazing conference I’ve ever been to. Oh and the day I met Craig Kielburger and had a major internal fangirl moment.

Craig was a great way to end the conference because I believe in and have such an amazing passion for the work he does. What I found great about Craig’s message (as I have at the last two Vancouver We Days) is his reminder that in your efforts for social change, you’re not alone. There is someone out there with the same passion and the same desire to create change in their community. My biggest challenge that Craig presented in his keynote? How to integrate my “social change” life into the other 95% of my life. I’ve come to see it as an added bonus in my life and not so much something that I can live in every aspect and every moment of my life. I’m making it my goal to change this however I can.

Wendy and I with Craig Kielburger (!!)

It’s hard to explain in just a few blog posts the impact this conference has had on my leadership and most importantly my wellbeing. This reprieve from school could not have come at a better time. It’s been no surprise that I haven’t been feeling like the best version of my life for a long time now, and this conference has renewed my faith in myself and the journey that I am on here at UBC. I’m here to challenge myself, but also surround myself with people that will challenge me. As Jenni so lovingly reminded me: everybody is teaching everybody at every moment. The next question is, am I being the best teacher?