The great thing about writing a blog post is that at any point in time, if I don’t like what I wrote, I can always just hit “backspace” and it is like it never ha….. [text removed because it didn’t sound right]
There are times in life where it would be so much easier if it was possible to just go back and delete something or pretend it never happened. Unfortunately, since no one has invented a time machine yet, frankly this just isn’t possible. Luckily this past week, a very refreshing quote popped into my head and the more that I think about it, the more that I feel the city of Detroit should try to emulate it:
“You can never start over but you can always choose to do better”
Instead of trying to hit a hard reset, it is important to learn from our mistakes and move on. The key to that is LEARN, because if you didn’t learn anything, then you will keep doing the same mistakes over and over again.
The city of Detroit has been falling into this trap. By repeatedly executing the same faulty procedures, nothing changes, and in many instances, things just get worse. It isn’t until someone decides that something needs to be done, that change will actually start to happen.
But here’s the problem. If I decided that I was out of shape, I could choose to get in shape, by working out and eating healthy. If a city decides that they are out of shape, everyone needs to choose to make a change. If not, then we are just perpetuating the same problems from the past, and nothing will change.
The city of Detroit is at a turning point right now and it’s one thing for the city to try to do better for itself, at least financially with the Kevin Orr in office, but people have to help to change the perception of Detroit or things will continue to stay the same.
Below is a list of simple things that you can choose to do to help better Detroit:
Spread a positive message
Detroit is more than just media hype! There are amazing things going on in Detroit that go seemingly unheard of.
Care
Ambivalence is just another way of doing nothing.
Accept change
Things can always get better! Don’t let fear or complacence stop you from seeing a brighter future.
Say “And” not “But
A great tip I learned from TEDxDetroit presenter Mary Lore from Managing Thought had us do an amazing exercise about the power of words. Think about building a tree house – what does it look like? Try describing it once saying “And” and then again saying “But”. Now do the same thing about what Detroit has to offer!
If you choose to do one of these things once a day, once a week, once a month, you are helping to spark a change that will help Detroit become the city we all hope and dream for. So what are you waiting for?