Graceland, Ontario: Canadian

Monday, June 24, 2013

A Very Special Woman

Let’s talk about something exceptional.

Today was the 200^th commemoration of a very famous walk in Canadian history.

Laura Secord was a housewife. Her husband was a Captain in the militia until he suffered a wound fighting in the Battleof Queenston Heights. Now, he was in bed.

And, with American forces occupying Fort George and the Niagara Region, her house had U.S. soldiers billeted in it.

But, as the story goes, she heard American officers at dinner one night discussing their plans to surprise and defeat Anglo-Canadian forces. Someone had to warn them. Her husband? No, he was far too weak.

She had to go.

A simple choice: if she didn’t go, no one else would. If she didn’t put her life on the line, no one would warn the British.

So she, woman in early 19^th century Canada, walked 32 km to warn British troops. Her shoes were worn through, but she got to Beaver Dams in time. Leuitenent James Fitzgibbon, commander of the Anglo-Canadian forces heard her out.

The next day, his men (comprised largely of Mohawk Warriors) surprised the American force, capturing about 500 men in what had been a low point of the war for the British.

Now, there’s been talk in the last 200 years that the Natives already knew of the American advance and that Secord’s walk was merely confirmation in their findings. It doesn’t matter. She, especially for a woman in the mindset of her time, did something fantastic.

She found important knowledge and, through her own initiative, took the actions necessary to save her country. You can’t beat that.

When we take the initiative in our lives, things change. All of a sudden, we’re putting in the work to walk 32km’s, we’re lifting lime stones. And we’re productive.

When we don’t take the initiative, we lose any chance to be special. After all, that means someone else did all the thinking before hand and we’re just following their instructions. They’ll take the credit, not us. And that’s not very rewarding.

However scary it is, use the knowledge you possess and have the initiative to take ACTION with it. Secord is now a Canadian legend with more than one school to her name.

Think where your initiative could take YOU!

Alex H.

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Friday, March 8, 2013

Earned Respect

How’s it going Ladies and Gentlemen?

Thanks for coming back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for success advice from the greats. Today we’re going to talk about standing for your principles.

Another sad post… As you probably know if you’re Canadian (and probably don’t if you’re not ), the great Stompin’ Tom Conners, local singer and legend, passed away a couple days ago at the age of 77 (which is far too young these days). The man who was named for the way he kept time with his left foot wrote classics like “Sudbury Saturday Night” and, most popularly, “The Good Ol’ Hockey Game”, not to mention about 298 others.

But what he might be remembered most by was his pride in being Canadian. It was only a couple months ago on Canada Day that I compared the man to Elvis in the U.S. for the patriotism he was synonymous with in my country. I mean, he openly spoke out against Canadian artists who sought fame in the larger United States who with a population ten times ours have about as many extra opportunities. He fought to keep a Canadian identity in music, even as more and more American recordings crossed the border.

Now, I’m not against American music − as you probably know from this blog, I’m a HUGE Elvis fan. But someone needs to stand up for something if it’s going to live, and Stompin’ Tom was the man to do it for us Canadians and our music. Proud to the end, a true patriot.

Stompin’ Tom’s death signals an end to an age in Canadian music. But even though he only sold nearly four million records (compared to Elvis’s over One Billion), his music will live on to all those who remember him for standing what he believed in, even when it wasn’t popular.

What does this mean for you? Stand for something you believe in and don’t stop, even if it doesn’t look like it’s going your way, even if others think you’re crazy for it. They’ll respect you in the end. At the Toronto Maple Leaf’s hockey game the night Tom’s name was called, most of the fans stood up during the playing of “The Good Ol’ Hockey Game” in respect of him.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind a tribute like that when I pass on.

Stand for what you believe in and I'll talk to you next week!