I’m reading Jack Schultz’s wonderful book, Boom Town USA, The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns. I just can’t say enough good things about it and I’m so glad someone has finally realized that small towns can be wonderful! I want to talk for a minute about his first key: Adopt a Can-Do Attitude. I think that’s what I love most about Caddo. I may complain from time to time about not having enough money or enough people or enough resources for all the things we want to accomplish. However, we have some key people with “can-do attitude”. And when this town decides to pull together and do something, it gets done. That’s been proven time and time again.
I talk to my kindergarten students about attitude. I teach them a little saying that is appropriate for their age: “I’m tryin’ not cryin’!” I know that the “positive, can-do, I’ll try, it’s possible” attitude begins early. I also know that many people STILL have the same attitude, either positive or negative, that they had in kindergarten. You can still hear two different voices at any public meeting. The first one is “Let’s try…” and the second one is “That’ll never work!”
Many of the second group have been disappointed in the past. They’ve worked on a project that failed. They’ve had a good idea that was ignored. They’ve had their feelings hurt during a spirited disagreement. But a can-do attitude doesn’t just mean seeing the glass as half-full. Positive thoughts aren’t enough to save a town from extinction. A can-do attitude means having a vision of a better future and persevering with your plans even when you know good and well that the glass is half-empty.
Jack Schultz says, “When its people are infused with a can-do attitude, a town that, for decades has done nothing but limp along, can gain new strength and develop wings like an eagle.”
I like the sound of that.
I’m ready for Caddo to fly!
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