Famous Quotes

Recentlly a follow blogger ran the Quote " The world is run by those who show up" I did a little research on this quote and this is what i found, couldnt have said it better myself.  It kind of goes hand in hand with the quote from Mahatma Gandhi " Be the change you wish to see in the world" This is kind of ironic considering  there was a lenghty discussion on the popular site facebook the other day. The discussion revolved around the state of affairs of the Municipality, why their are no businneses left and that the community is turning into a ghost town. I voiced my opinion as well as others and it was a good discussion. Again it got me to thinking.

The world is run by those who show up

Posted by: justiceserved in Court Management, Human Resources, Personal

The saying the world is run by those who show up is attributed variously to anonymous sources or to an engineering expert, Robert B. Johnson, in an article in the Journal of Management in Engineering (Jan/Feb 1999 — Volume 15, Issue 1, pp. 90-92). It succinctly describes what most of us observe in our personal and work lives  …  that people tend to fall into two groups: those who are disengaged from the world around them or those who are active participants trying to shape the future.

Do you ever notice when someone gets an award, you often learn that they are also coaching their children’s Little League team, serving on the local food bank board of directors, and chair of a committee in their professional organization? Do you ever notice that there are a limited number of people you reliably can turn to when you need something done? Is it a surprise that these same people are usually in both categories?

So what’s the deal? We’re all busy, and many of us are fortunate to also have loving families that deserve our attention and limited free time. Why should we also be expected to provide community service and philanthropy? There are no easy answers, but here are some general tips  …

Charity begins at home
There is nothing more important in your life than taking care of your family and raising healthy children if you have them. Individuals should not feel pressured to take on more than they can reasonably be expected to accomplish, especially if the extracurricular activities significantly diminish one’s family life.

Acting as a role model
Notwithstanding the first tip, children need good role models and should learn early on that public service and caring for the community are not only good things, but should be expected. Balancing these priorities is the trick.

Shaping the future
Have you ever been bemused when someone complains about politicians, but then admits that they don’t vote? The same can be said of a lot of things including public policy, effective government, youth recreation and our profession. Decisions, policies, laws and programs are put into place by governing boards, citizen groups and professional organizations that rely heavily on volunteer leadership. It’s one thing to have a good idea, but it’s another thing entirely to manage, fund and determine how that idea is put into practice. Those who show up actually end up doing it.

Where you can participate
I can’t tell you where you can best serve in your community. That decision should be driven first by your interests and talents, and second by community needs. In your profession, start by joining and actively participating in your professional association, whether than is on a local, state or national level. Nationally, that would mean active participation in the National Association for Court Management. If you are a court technology specialist, look into the Court Information Technology Officer’s Consortium and the Forum on the Advancement of Court Technology.

And be sure to say hello if we meet at one of these NACM, FACT or CITOC gatherings.

Competition and Progress

Its called progress, there was a time when our parents used to shop at the corner store then we all went to the IGA and now they drive to Wallmart. We complain about the local businesses but do not do enough to support them ourselves.  I know they dont always have the product we are looking for but if we supported them more they might just start having more products on the shelf.  Its called competition but is it a good thing for the crowsnest pass. Over the years i have seen many businesses come and go many because there just isnt the population to support that particular product but others had to close because of competition. I realize competition is what maintains the standard and without it that may decline. That being said we can only support so many restuarants, video outlets and grocery stores. If a local restuarant has been providing a quality product at a reasonable price for decades should their business have to suffer while the public tries out the latest ventures that were given a license. Where is the public conscious on this? As we have seen the established ones last while the new ventures dont always survive. There are of course exceptions to that and they are from people who work as hard at their venture as the established ones do. any thoughts ?     

lets put things into perspective

This morning while travelling over to sparwood i came across a hitchhiker. This is nothing unusual for me as i normally offer them a ride and help them out if i can. What surprises me most times about these individuals is how carefree they are towards life. When you engage them in conversation you find out they may have taken two weeks to get across the country getting various rides some shorter than others. This fella was no different started in Blairmore this morning after arriving from Medicine Hat last night. Took him two rides just to get to outside of Coleman where i picked him up. Started out at 7:30am i picked him up at 9am. He went on to explain he was on his way to Mission Vancouver. No timeline, when he gets there he joins the homeless and collects bottles to get by. Not worried about pensions or a roof over his head or even when he gets there. He goes on to say that everyone is too scheduled, have to be here and there, have to do their job right or get scolded by their supervisor. He had been in the workforce  for years but it just beat him up and he had enough. He gets by  not worried about where he sleeps at night . Tells me he takes life one hour at a time not a day at a time as is the conventional thinking. I said to him you got a good point there i said i travel this route every morning on the way to work through some very dangerous road and weather conditions and my life could change instantly, but i am expected to be there. So yes taking your approach to life one hour at a time is sometimes the best decision you can make. I dropped him off in Sparwood went to the meeting where we argued about pensions and wages and working conditions. This guy got out of my truck smiling at the world and thanked me. I got out stressed about the strike, my coworkers, our fight for a retirement plan, timelines and working conditions and so on