The Little Things We Say

There is power in the little things we say!

Do the little things we say really matter? Yes they do! What is being said by John Q. Public in Smalltown, USA matters a lot. What is the affect of one drop of color into clear water? Does it make a difference? Does a second drop, and a third drop strengthen the color of the first drop? Of course it does! If we all do our part we will send a beautiful message. 

Here is a real story from Toccoa-Stephens County…One of our strong, successful and growing companies here in the community that has a great reputation of taking good care of their employees and has continued opportunities for advancement was in the process of hiring an upper level manager. He was excited about the opportunity and the final step of the process was to have his family come to town to check out Toccoa.

As they visited a local establishment, they took the liberty to ask the locals what they thought of Toccoa-Stephens County. The bulk of what they heard was negative, negative, negative, when there is so much positive that is worthy of mention. It may be human nature to dwell on the negatives, but I beg to differ.

Instead of seeing the glass half empty, let’s look at it as half full! Because in doing so, each of us can have a huge impact on the message that is delivered. The take away from that specific experience was that the gentleman turned down the opportunity based on the fact that the comments shared with his family were so negative that they didn’t want to live here. Just to think that the result could have been completely different based solely on the comments of a few people who could have shared the great things about our town as opposed to the negative. Let’s learn from this experience.

All communities have areas that need work, and by all means let’s be careful to address those issues as they arise. But if our goal as a community is to make a difference and leave a positive lasting legacy, then let’s take every opportunity we are given to speak the positive truth about where we live. Maybe we need to take a few minutes to consider the blessings that we have here. So that when we are asked, then those positive and unique treasures of Toccoa are the things that pop into mind and will be the first impression that others hear.

Let’s be intentional to help promote our community and help to make it a better place to be. What does that look like on an everyday basis and how can that involve everyone? Encourage a neighbor or co-worker when you hear complaining. Brag about the things that we might otherwise take for granted. We can all make a difference by having an arsenal full of the reasons why Toccoa-Stephens County is a great place to do business and an even greater place to do life!