“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” ~Vincent Van Gogh
True Vincent. There’s no doubt that many small things coming together can create something great. So what happens when a bunch of GREAT things come together?
It’s called the Lululemon Ambassador Summit (check out a video re-cap here). In this case, it was a bunch of great people, great ideas, great food, a great venue, and a great company with a great vision behind it. I’d like to share some of the highlights with you from the week that changed my life.
The invitation to become a Lululemon Ambassador is an honor. In every community that has a Lululemon store, you will find 7 or 8 passionate people like me who are community builders. We are yoga teachers, spin instructors, Crossfit coaches, and runners. We teach community classes for Lululemon and help them build and sustain a vibrant, healthy fitness community.
This year, I was one of 70 Ambassadors worldwide who was selected to attend the 2012 Summit in Vancouver, BC. I know, right? Lucky doesn’t come close, blessed is more like it. They flew us in, whisked us to a welcome reception at the amazing Lululemon headquarters. And before we could get too relaxed, they loaded us on busses and off we went to hike (more like climb) Grouse Grind, otherwise known as Mother Nature’s Stairmaster. What a fun way to get to know our new BFFs.
Take away message: Hard work, sweat, beautiful scenery and the F-Bomb dropped at just the right time have a way of helping people bond.
On day 2 we were honored to hear from Suzanne Conrad and to be inspired by her iGolU (I-goal-U) program. She helped us all come up with a personal declaration. A statement that reflects our life’s biggest passion, something that we can use to measure our intentions and actions as we move forward. Here is what I came up with: “I speak courageously from a place of truth and love. I use my unique voice to help others find theirs. When we lift our voices together, we change the world.” The fact that I’m moved to tears just typing this means I nailed mine. It’s authentic for me. I look forward to helping you, my students and friends articulate yours.
On day 3, I was invited to present a 5 minute ‘Pecha Kucha’, a Japanese term for chit-chat. I had 5 minutes to tell my story, with the theme of ‘What I wish I knew when I started my_____” I took these poor youngsters through a tour of my fitness career, with highlights including Richard Simmons, Madonna and Karl Malone. You can see my hilarious Big Hair slide show here.
I think it’s remarkable, that over the course of 3 days, we talked about stretchy pants for just one short hour. They asked for design feedback and listened as we gave it to them. I have loved Lululemon since I bought my first pair of $98 Groove pants, but now I really, really love them. I guess you could say I drank the Kool Aid. But if a company is committed to investing its money, its top people and it’s biggest ideas to build better communities, they have earned my respect.
I’m so proud, and so grateful to represent Lululemon Athletica Trolley Square, and to have had this life changing opportunity. I commit to using this experience to continue being a community builder. Whether you’re part of the physical community in Salt Lake City, or part of my online community at DeniseDruce.com, my intention is to do great things with you. Together, as we each find our unique voice, we bring our voices together to change the world!
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