Monday, January 10, 2011

New Year's Resolution- Blog Now!

Good Morning !

I have tied myself to the chair and I am penning my first blog post of 2011.
It is not that I have wanted to avoid blogging- it is that I have wanted to avoid the task of
blogging.

I am reading Linchpin by Seth Godin. Linchpin is a rare book that makes me want to change my life. I want to jump out of my seat and create art. I become immersed in possibility and power. I resonate to the core with hopeful energy. I think great thoughts!

If merely being inspired were enough to change the world, I would have no problem. I am so inspired that I am walking on air. I want to go out and announce to the world that we can and will have the best year to date. We will create coalitions of engaged people who live their passion. Neighbors will come together for the improvement of the places they live and will made their voices heard. This time it will be different and sustainable!

Hope is not a method!

The actual work of creating community is a little less elegant. In fact, it is downright chaotic and messy and tentative and never completed in a day. It is made up of a million small conversations where you are not even sure the other person is hearing you. It is made up of a thousand people telling you no. It is about taking risks, looking clueless and putting yourself out there for the benefit of our family, friends and the larger community. In short, it is about being willing to be vulnerable.

I am passionate about creating hundreds of small community enclaves where leadership is organic and comes from the most unexpected places. People are waiting in the wings to take on leadership roles. We have so many talented women and men in the corridor. There are so many things to be thankful for in our community.

Let's find a way in 2011 to embrace the passions and diversity that make Cedar Rapids a Linchpin for the Corridor and beyond.