by Marvin N. Miller, AIB President

I recently attended a conference and enjoyed one of the speakers enough to ask for a copy of his presentation. As such, my request not only returned a link to his talk, but I now also have been added to his e-newsletter list and have begun receiving a stream of consciousness from him several times each week. This certainly is not what I hoped for, but so far, it has been a positive experience.

His most recent piece included an observation debating the difference between the saying, “Have a good day,” which he argued was passive, and the remark, “Make it a good day.” The latter is much more active, he contended, suggesting that a person has within their control the ability to have a good day, but only if they actively work at making it so.

Within a few hours of receiving this e-newsletter, another arrived informing me that athletic apparel maker Under Armour was preparing to launch a new marketing campaign around the saying, “I will.” I immediately compared this to Nike’s “Just do it!” Both are active rather than passive lines, something quite fitting for athletic apparel, perhaps, but also quite in-concert with a “can-do attitude.”

The arrival of these emails, almost simultaneously, may foretell a new can-do attitude sweeping this country. Certainly, the economic signs are pointing in positive directions, which may help to foster not only further economic recovery but more examples of can-do marketing slogans and more active approaches to life in general. I think we’ll all welcome this positive approach.

Such vibrations fit well in a community setting that also includes an America in Bloom program. Our organization is all about bringing out the best in a city and helping to transform its citizens into an active volunteer force where folks take on vital roles in helping to shape a city’s future. Certainly, a can-do attitude helps motivate volunteerism in the first place. Seeing the results from citizens pitching in to help make their city or town a better place to live is undeniably very rewarding. But witnessing people working, with identifiable results in their wakes, also has the tendency to attract others to join in the activities.

Volunteer efforts do coalesce around an identifiable cause. When a civic group pitches in for a cause, others tend to follow. In many AIB cities, if a Kiwanis, Rotary, or Lions Club gets involved, word soon spreads and other organizations’ chapters decide to get “on board.” If the Boy Scouts join the parade, the Girl Scouts soon follow, as do the Cub Scouts, the Brownies, the Explorers, and other youth groups. If one hotel beautifies its property, others do so as well, if only for competitive reasons. If a business park on the east side of town updates its landscape, then the business park on the west side tends to follow suit. Similar results occur with condominium associations, churches, mosques and synagogues, shopping districts, and even private businesses. The Convention and Visitors Bureau involvement might begat participation from the Chamber of Commerce. The Historical Society’s goal may become that of the city council. Elementary schools may spur on middle schools and high schools. The list of potential participants is almost endless.

In similar fashion, communities often have benefited from this “keeping up with the Joneses” effect. When neighbors spruce up their lots, whether it’s from painting their homes, improving the landscape, or even just picking up litter, it often results in other neighbors repeating the steps, thereby improving the whole neighborhood. And when neighborhoods get together for the sake of improvement, that, too, gets replicated and entire cities move forward.

What makes this phenomenon a reality? Leaders with can-do attitudes – people who make it a good day. These individuals are almost always focused on the mission and seldom on themselves. These individuals are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do the work alongside other volunteers. They lead by example, but they also keep the mission at the center of attention. The mission is identified, verbalized, and praise is extolled for each incremental step towards the ultimate goal. It’s all about what we can do together!

The end result is a win – a win for all involved, including all of the citizens of the city or town. The city not only looks prettier, but it acts prettier as well. Indeed, it might just be brimming with pride. That’s why our byline reads: “America in Bloom: Planting Pride in Our Communities!”