Wayne Huizenga, a very successful businessman, passed away a few weeks ago. By starting two incredibly large businesses, owning several major league sporting teams and giving a lot of money to organizations who helped those in need, he did a lot with his time on Earth.

There is a lot to learn from Mr. Huizenga. And, while I did not know him, I have used one of his quotes for a long time:

Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.

The greatest basketball player to ever live said something similar.

So, what does this have to do with camp, you ask? A lot.

Making Camp Amazing

First, let’s start by defining a successful summer. In my opinion, that means a few things: returning home safely having made friends, laughed a ton, learned more than you realize, and feeling Weequahic is your second home.

To me, that’s a successful summer. Does it sound good to you? If you said ‘yes’, well then… it’s time to go to work.

I bet I can tell what you are thinking: “Work?!?! Are you serious, Cole? We’ve just spent eight out of the last nine months working in school, on homework, and house chores. We just want to have fun at camp!”

I hear you! And, that’s not the type of work I’m talking about. It’s more about attitude, about intentional effort, about focusing on how to make ‘it’ successful. (‘It’ in this case, means your time at camp.)

So, how does one intentionally go about making the coming summer the best ever? Here are a few ideas:

1. Spend some time thinking about what you most want to get out of your three or six weeks at Weequahic. Are there new activities you want to try, friends you want to make, or adventures you want to enjoy?

2. At the same time, think about what you are going to give to those around you at camp? We all have a unique strength to offer. Maybe you’ll make someone laugh, be a consistent and faithful friend, or offer courage and encouragement to someone tentative about trying a new activity.

3. Come up with a plan or two on how you are going to handle those down moments. It could be missing home (talk with your friends and your counselors), being bummed about the rain (start a campaign to go mud-sliding), or not loving an activity as much as you thought (change it!)

Begin with the End in Mind

A very smart lady told me once to begin everything you do with the end in mind… and to remain open-minded about the process. A lot of times we want to control everything around us. We think that if we could, the ‘perfect’ experience could be built from the ground up… just for you.

There are two problems with that point of view. First, there are WAY too many moving parts at camp (or anywhere) to fully control things. You’ll just be frustrated by the process.

Secondly, it’s a very limiting mindset. We have so many awesome people at Weequahic and I bet 99.9% of them are just like you: they want to have a total blast this summer. The cool thing is that, because they are different than you, your new-found friends can stretch your idea of what a great time is… and make it bigger!

So… start getting ready to make Summer 2018 a resounding success. WE CANNOT WAIT to get you to Weequahic!