Fun da Mentals

When I created Sage University in the early 1990's, my intention was to design an international system of higher learning that would bring pleasure to education. So I focused on real life lessons. Along with traditional courses such as economics and history, I created a relevant curriculum to focus on how people love and how they earn a living. Through collaboration with our students we evolved into the first global university dedicated to the careers and lifestyles of free agent entrepreneurs. 

 

My highest priority was to share my love of learning. In the 1st grade, Mrs. Owens yanked my hair every time she caught me reading under my desk. The education system of that time wasn't prepared for eager students who took pleasure in absorbing new information. So I was determined to create Sage University as a space in which people could follow their curiosity and organize their education to fit their unique talents and to be constantly attuned to changes in the global economy. 

 

Fun was the first and most important ingredient. When people laugh, they listen. No other creatures can tell stories and evoke humor that makes you quiver with amusement. And when humans weep, it is because they feel so deeply. Other species whine, and some emit a little moisture from their eyes. But only humans cry and sob with heartfelt grief. Profound caring opens the deepest recesses of the heart. 

 

You can train animals. But you can educate people. What use is higher learning if it only entails memorization and emotional strain? So we created learning experiments to clear the mind and lighten the heart. 

 

Now here we are, more than two decades later, offering seminars, courses and conferences designed to inspire people as they master the fundamentals of business and the art of loving. Many of our graduates have started learning organizations of their own. A couple of them tried to monopolize our system by trademarking our name and stealing the logo right off our website. But Sage University is an open source system, akin to Linux. We hold the copyrights on the Sage Method and all related procedures, only to protect them for dissemination in the public domain. You are welcome to apply our innovations and course materials as long as you use them ethically with respect for your clients and associates. 

 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am proud of all the people who have applied our approach in so many venues. And I want to commend Mia Sage for her superb sense of honor and integrity--qualities that have taken Sage University to higher levels than I had ever imagined. She is the Tai Pan and servant leader of hundreds of instructors worldwide who play by the rules and who share our enthusiasm for the "ships"-- entrepreneurship, relationship, leadership, salesmanship, and friendship. 

 

Although I have long since retired, I remain honorary Chairman of the Board. It gives me great pleasure to assist new professors and associates as they master the professional depth and the levity that makes The Sage Method both relevant and delightful. 

 

I can honestly say that I have achieved my ultimate desire to overcome the trauma of traditional schooling by becoming a full-time student in a university that enlivens and enlightens adults who are inventing a new entrepreneurial economy. Congratulations to those who are operating service-based businesses that spring from their most cherished ideas. 


-Martin Sage