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It’s been a couple of months since I’ve written in this blog. Between my last few big speaking tours to California, Oregon, New York, Texas, Saskatchewan and Maryland and all of the time spent working on the 2008-2009 schedule, this blog has taken a bit of a backseat. But I couldn’t let today go by without writing some words about my hero, idol and inspiration, George Carlin.

One thing to understand about me is that I’m not a celebrity stalker. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many in my life, from the former Prime Minister of Canada to sports stars and musicians, to me, they’re just people. George Carlin for me was different. To this day he was the only person/band I ever paid to see in person and was fortunate enough to watch him live twice.

As a young boy we would listen to George Carlin during long car trips with the family. The intelligence of his material was lost on me, but I got a giggle every time he would throw in a swear word (which was often). As I aged, I came to see the brilliance of his words. He wasn’t just making people laugh, but he was providing us with a blue print for our thoughts. Not just how we think, but why we think. His ability to take the ridiculous and make it seem practical is unparalelled. He made me see that through comedy you could spread positive, progressive messages and that in turn inspired me and my stage career as a Motivational Speaker.

The routine that stood out for me was his discussion of the meaning of words. His explanation that it was “the context that counts; the user; the intention behind the word that makes it good or bad. The word is neutral. The word is completely innocent. I get tired of people talking about bad words and bad language. Bull! It’s the context that makes it good or bad”. That routine (along with the rest of it which is not quite appropriate for this blog - sorry George) completely changed my outlook on the language I speak and how I use my words.

After I learned that routine I went on to learn them all. Study them. Study how he speaks, how he delivers a line, how he pauses, how he paces. How he mixes in a discussion about religion and abortion and then goes on a 3 minute rant about the bilabial fricative (making fart sounds with your mouth). I ended up memorizing every routine, word for word. As much to be a tribute as to understand his method.

Today, I have read and heard with a heavy heart the many adjectives that people have come to label him - counterculture icon, edgy, philosopher king, etc. He is certainly all these things and more. To me though, he will always be the one celebrity that I can truly say had an impact on my life. Without him, I don’t know that I would enjoy the stage as much as I do or if I’d even be on the stage performing at all. The best summation I can give is to steal from what Lewis Black said tonight on Larry King Live - “we are smarter for his presence”.

There are many routines and 1 liners I could put in this blog to memorialize George, but I think the most appropriate is to show what he thought of my profession and my industry…

“Something else I don’t understand - motivation books, motivation tapes. What’s the big mystery? It’s a fairly simple thing isn’t it? Either you want to do something or you don’t. Besides, if you’re motivated enough to go to the store to buy the motivation book aren’t you motivated enough to do that? So you don’t need the book. Put the book down. Tell the clerk, ‘forget you, I’m going home, I’m already motivated’”.

Thank you George Carlin for all that you have taught me and everyone. May your words of wisdom and humor not only live on, but be put to good use.

It has amazed me over the years how “easy” it is to be booked in some places and others, it is near impossible. For example, I rarely ever speak near Toronto, have never once spoken in British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, and yet did almost 40 speeches in Alberta in 06-07.

Finally, one of the Provinces has come through. I’m here for close to a week in Saskatchewan, travelling around small towns in the Northest part of the Province. I’ve been warned to look out for bad roads, bad weather and bad scenery this time of year. So far, I think it’s great! You hear all about how flat the land is, and you really can’t believe it until you’ve been here. There was one stretch of the road where I must have been able to see some 10-15 miles away. Talk about visibility!

If there’s anything that makes the trip tedious, it’s the radio stations. There were two working radio stations for a 250 KM stretch. Note to self: ALWAYS bring your collection of CD’s with you on the road.

Apart from that, I spent last night in a quaint motel in Tisdale, “The Land of Rape and Honey” - (no, I’m not making that up). Tisdale is also home to Canadian Comedian and Corner Gas star, Brent Butt. After close to 10 hours sleep, I finally feel awake and ready to go. My insomnia was reaching epic proportions this past week with just a few hours per night. Now I’m rarin’ to go, for what should be a great few days here in the Wheatfields.

1100 students inside Manzano High School’s gymnasium and this crazy Canadian getting his first opportunity to wow a crowd at a Student Council State Conference. It was the kind of set-up I hate, with students on seperate levels ranging up into a balcony area, but you work with what you’ve been given and what a great crowd!

In my experiences at high-energy conferences like this one, it can sometimes be tough to reign in the hyped-up crowd, but this was exactly what I was looking for. Great energy when I wanted it and quiet, good listening skills when I wanted to talk. Perfect! With speeches coming up at State Conferences in North Dakota, Rhode Island, Texas and Indiana still to come over the months to come, this was a great way to kick off the group. Look out Rhode Island…you’ve got a tough act to follow!

As I mentioned in my post from yesterday, a New Mexico teacher suggested I chase my dream of non-seasoned curly fries at a chain restaurant called Twisters. Sure enough…there it was. In the words of Jodie Foster in Contact and Peter Griffin in Family Guy…”So beautiful…no words…should have sent…a poet”.

If only every day of my life could be State Conference keynotes and non-seasoned curly fries, I’d be the happiest person in the world!

It was an exhausting day (as to be expected at a State Student Council Conference). I was up at 6:30 after about 5 1/2 hours sleep and was anticipating heading over the the Conference after a quick shower…2 1/2 hours later I was finished with all of the E-Mail correspondence that had come in in the last 36 hours. On the plus side, I had also booked 2 speeches for the next few months, so it was certainly a nice way to get pumped for a day of Leadership.

The students and staff here are exceptional. They’re on top of their game and know what they’re doing. In the morning I was “adopted” by some great students at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Solid energy and good spirits! If you’re out there, thank you for the adoption.

But I have to say my best memory of the day (and probably the memory I’ll take with me for years to come) was during a rousing game of Stella-Ella-Olla! I was sitting down chatting with some of the Manzano High School Student Senate who were helping to make the Conference run when they asked me for some icebreaker games to try out. So after teaching them the greatest game of all time, “Mafia” which as always was a big hit, I asked if they liked “Stella-Ella-Olla”. I was met with a bunch of blank faces. I couldn’t believe it. Somehow the phenomenon of Stella-Ella-Olla that seemed so prevalent around North America had evaded this State.

After teaching them the game, they seemed hooked but I didn’t realize my impact until several hours later. In a clumsy move, I had left my jacket in the cafeteria after dinner. When I went to retrieve it, I walked in and began going towards my jacket when I heard loud chanting going on. It was Stella-Ella-Olla going on en masse with some 30-40 people participating. What was really awesome for me to see, was how a simple game I taught students was able to impact them in a way where they were able to and WANTED to share it with their council and keep the energy going.

When I come into a school or Conference, I run my speech and I run my workshops, but I’m never able to see the after-effects of what I do and actually observe students using my teachings when I’m not there. With my keynote speech for the State Conference tomorrow morning, it was the kind of scene that truly Motivates me and makes me believe in the impact I can make.

Off to bed with one of the more important speeches of my life to come!

***SIDE NOTE*** during dinner, a Staff Member mentioned to me that there is a fast food chain here in New Mexico called, “Twisters” that serves non-seasoned curly fries. Now, if you know anything about me, you know that non-seasoned curly fries is my favourite food in the world, but is also my unicorn. A mythological food that I have searched the world for and have only been able to find at Hooters’ Restaurants. I have won bets with people that non-seasoned curly fries are not available ANYWHERE. If this place truly has this yummy and wonderful treat, there is a chance I will shed a tear and move here permanently. I don’t know what I’m more excited about…my speech tomorrow, or the possibility of seeing and eating my unicorn.

I arrived tonight in Albuqerque, New Mexico after 15 hours of travel from my home in Richmond Hill, Ontario. This is my first State Student Council Conference that I will be a keynote speaker for and I couldn’t be more excited. Unfortunately, with all of the travel I had to miss the first part of the Conference, but once I got there I was able to jump right into the energy and meet some great staff advisors and students from across the State.

The weather down here is gorgeous (at least in comparison with Toronto)…about 40 degrees warmer and not a single sign of snow!! I even drove from the airport to my hotel with the windows down. Beautiful!

I’m in desperate need of some shut-eye…more to come as I get some stories and some rest!

Today I arrived in Clarion, Pennsylvania for my first stop on a 5 day Speaking Tour. It felt great to be on the road driving myself and getting some quiet time away from turbulence, no meals on flights and bad movies.

I’ve got 4 schools over the next 4 days and I’m looking forward to the fast-paced action once again. Due to the holidy season and exam season across Canada, December and January have always been slow months for me (and from what I know for all Motivational Speakers). So it’s great to be back to the grind, working with students every day this week.

One of the big tests I’m trying to overcome this week is my addiction to fast food and no exercise on the road. Since I’ve begun eating healthy and avoiding fast food when at home, I haven’t had the chance for a strong test to see if I can keep up my habits while I’m away. Like I tell the students, it’s up to me to “Motivate Yourself”.

This morning I had the chance to speak in California for my third time in three months. After having not been in California in 12 years, three in three is quite the pace! There’s something magical about the IDEA of California. I feel it when I book a gig there and I hear it from people’s flabergasted responses, “wow…you get to go to California!??”, as if by going, all will be well in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I do LOVE California. But sometimes the hype can let you down. My stop on this trip was San Francisco…in and out in 48 hours. I had three talks at a GREAT, diverse and open Intermediate School in Walnut Creek and my plan initially was to do some sightseeing yesterday and this afternoon. Unfortnately, 48 hours straight of downpour doesn’t really lend itself to standing on the Golden Gate Bridge, walking down Fisherman’s Wharf or even driving up and down the hilly streets.

I head back to Toronto on a red eye flight tonight. My last red eye was a turbulent nightmare from San Jose to Boston. Hopefully this one will be much less bumpy.

My biggest disappointment was actually the lack of In-N-Out Burger anywhere near where I was staying. How is it possible?!! The tragedy of it all. But of course, there will be future trips to California. The place of magic, mystery and usually a good burger!

Today I had a really amazing opportunity to be a guest on a local daytime talk show. The show’s broadcast range extends out to over 1 million people…and even if less than 60 watch, it was still a lot of fun to do.

I had a 10 minute segment on Daytime York Region on the Rogers Channel. The studio is about a two minute drive from my condo, so the commute was a DELIGHT! A very sore throat aside, I was happy with how everything went. A public speaking trick I teach students is to interview yourself outloud as much as you can. Pretend you’re on a reality show and just ask yourself questions you would have to answer in a “Diary Room Confession”. So since I found out I would be on the air, I did that exact technique.

The interview ended the way any of my interviews should end…with me breaking the Guinness Record for being the Fastest Talker!

I should have a copy of the video on my web-site within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

What a year 2007 was. I reflect back during this holiday season and look at what I’ve accomplished and what I still need to get myself in gear with. 2007 was my first year as a fulltime Motivational Speaker. I finally had the chance to dedicate myself fully and completely to what I love.

Here’s the highlights:
91 speeches - up from 58 in 2006
15 States and 3 Provinces - up from 4 States and 3 Provinces in 2006
2 American National Conferences - The National Associaion of Student Councils’ National Conference and the Students Against Destructive Decisions National Conference
2 Canadian National Conferences - The Canadian Student Leadership Conference and the Canadian Youth Against Impaired Driving National Conference.

Besides the success in my professional career, in November I purchased and moved into a condo with my girlfriend. That’s right and ladies and gentleman…I have a mortgage and I AM an adult!

But of course, I still have unfinished business. Like my book on student council initiatives, my parental speech on cyber awareness and my additional speeches and workshops for students that I am always looking to add to my collection.

There’s lots to come for me in 2008 and I can’t wait to keep pushing forward personally and professionally. I wish you all a VERY Happy New Year and I look forward to working with you all in the year to come!

I just returned back from a 5-day trip to Las Vegas with my girlfriend and one of my closest friends and his colleague. I had never been to “Sin City” and wasn’t sure what to expect. My girlfriend tried to convince me that I would do far more than just sit at a poker table 24 hours a day, but I couldn’t understand what else I would want to see. If you’ve never been, it’s impossible to describe how immense a single casino is. Caesar’s Palace for example has over 3,300 rooms and countless shops, restaurants and architecture. It can take hours just to get through A casino and there are so many on the strip that it takes days just to walk through them, let alone to sit down and play.

What you need to know about me if you’re unfamiliar with me is what a ridiculous poker fiend I am. My fondness for poker is borderline obsession. If I’m not E-Mailing and harassing you, or performing a speech or travelling to a speech, you can put a poker chip on the fact that I am probably either playing poker, reading poker, or watching poker on my PVR (Tivo for you Americans out there in Blogland).

This isn’t to say that I have a gambling problem or gamble too much…I’m far too stingy for that. I feel like I work VERY hard running my own business and working and communicating with staff and students and I could never blow a paycheque “gambling”. A $5 game for 2 hours of socialization with friends is far more entertainment for me than going to a noisy bar/club so I prefer playing a game of poker with friends as opposed to other forms of entertainment.

I feel as though poker is the ultimate game of chess. Every single move you make, both physically and mentally, consciously and subconsciously tells your opponents something else about you and your hand. The psychology behind it fascinates me. From the way a person stacks their poker chips, to the way a person holds their cards during a hand. Everything is a “tell”.

Being in Vegas gave me a chance to test my chops against some amateurs and some pros and I’m proud to say I held my own. Over the course of 15 hours during 6 seperate sessions, I came away ahead in 4/6 sessions and only down $20 at the end of the trip. A couple of bad beats aside and this Motivational Speaker is walking away a richer man. But as Doyle Brunson, the greatest poker player of all time says, “It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about making the right decision more times than the wrong one.” Just like life.