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The Man with the Plan

So, I'm a planner.

Seriously. I am a professional planner. I plan things - specifically, I plan the direction the city I live in and work for is going to go.

This means a couple of things. First off, it means that I have a vision for the community. This vision is informed by many different things, including by my professional education and training, by experiences both personally and gleaned from others, by state and federal laws, and by what has happened here in the past. The most important aspect of this vision, however, is input from the community I am supposed to represent. If my vision is just that of myself, in a dictatorial kind of way, imposed without thought or regard to the needs, wants, and desires of those I serve, not only is the vision inaccurate, but it is doomed to failure - like a plane without wings, it will never get off the ground. As it says in Proverbs, where there is no vision, the people perish.

The next most important thing, though, is communication. I have the opportunity to share what I have in my heart and in my mind with the community. The effectiveness of this communication is critical to the success of the plan - of any plan - in the way that an engine is vital to the propulsion of the plane. Just as with the wings, if there is no engine a plane will never achieve the heights it is intended to reach. Similarly, if I am unable to talk about what needs to be done, what the future can, may, and should look like in our community, there is no possibility of success. Effective communication requires me to actively seek out opportunities to share what I've learned from the experiences I've had. I look for people to learn from and to share the vision I've developed of the future in the hopes that people will buy in to what we are trying to build.

It is frustrating, then, when people do not share the vision. I have a unique talent and ability to look into the future and see what COULD be, rather than focus on what currently IS. I have often encountered great opposition from people - many of whom should really know better - who simply cannot see what potential there is and will not adjust their vision according to what could be. This happens for many reasons, all of which are certainly valid. But partially it is my fault for not communicating my vision more clearly, or in not being more inspiring. Because that's what the world needs is an inspiring, and inspired, leader. Someone who is able to get people to believe in themselves and in the possibilities that exist, rather than focus on the dreary and mundane.

How else can we succeed? What else are we working for? What do we want out of life, if not to live it better and more fully realized?

So, the work goes on. I continue to refine my technique and try to make myself more effective. I do not seek for my own benefit per se. I've never been one to seek the spotlight and want others to give me glory or praise. That comes of its own accord, when merited, or not at all. Either way, my performance is not affected by that.There is a job to be done, and the task remains mine. I embrace the challenge.

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