Here is another selection from my upcoming book, The Daily Uplift . I selected the title, as this month, I am listening to the classic recording by Earl Nightingale, The Strangest Secret. I dedicated this passage to my hometown of Rittman, Ohio.
We Become What We Think About
The
community where I live. Rittman, Ohio, is a town that has seen its share of
hard luck. That can probably be said about many towns on this planet, but I
have called Rittman my home for the past 40 years. I have seen several
businesses and a large employer go out of business in this time.
I have also
been the marching band announcer for the local high school since the 2000—2001 school
year. In this time, I have seen ups and downs on the football field, and from
2006 to 2021, there have been more downs than ups.
The town has
seen hard times because other nearby larger communities, most of which are off
major roadways, have gotten the major retailers that have put mom and pop businesses
out of business. The decommissioning of a state route can be one of the reasons
the box factory in town suffered a slow death and is now a partially a vacant
lot. The rest of this land is occupied by a nature preserve. An oversight in
the tax code has caused the city to now operate at a deficit.
The high
school football program has suffered for years. This was originally caused by
deep budget cuts, made necessary because of a failure to pass an operating
levy. Another contributing factor is that Ohio is a state that permits open
enrollment.
Recently
things have been changing in our town. I hope that my podcast. Around Rittman,
is one of the factors. I have adopted “Keeping it Positive in the 44270”
(Rittman’s Zip code), as my tag line. I also add “From Rittman, Ohio, the
little town that can.” In my podcast intro.
In the past
several months, I have seen things done because people in the town want to see these
happen. We had not had a community Easter egg hunt for years. We had one this year
because there were enough people that cared and carried the ball. There are
plans for a meet and treat in October because the same people took the ball and
ran with it. People in Rittman are caring and show it. We are making a positive
difference.
Because of a
couple of young ladies, who refused to take NO for an answer, our town also has
a farmers’ market on Thursday nights. This is also thanks to a local church that
graciously given use of their parking lot.
We have a
ministry center in Rittman, called The Server. This place serves as the nerve center
for many of the non-profit activities in town. It is also a place where people
can have a cup of coffee, or other beverage, a Danish, or breakfast and lunch,
all for free. Businesses, churches and individuals donate to the Server.
Now to the
football team. Since the 2022-2023 school year, the coaching staff has been on
a mission. The had coach, a devoted
family man and born again Christian, has taken ownership the program from the
youth program, all the way to high school varsity. He helps to instill the same
values on all levels. He has also encouraged the high school players to become
involved in the youth program, middle school program, and in the community. I
recently went to the fast food place to get my wife a slice of pie, which is
what I take home to her after each game. People there know me and let me know
they had some of the players working there and liked their work ethic. I let
the coach know that as I was interviewing him for the podcast and he was happy
to hear it.
As the title
says, “You become what you think about.” This is a line repeated from Earl
Nightengale’s classic The Strangest Secret. I am beginning to think the
people here in Rittman are thinking themselves as winners.
Thinking of
yourself as a winner can become infectious. I have been called out because of
my mission of positivity. It is so much nicer to be positive than it is to be
negative. I also find that people like me more when I maintain this, though it
can be difficult at times.
People feel
better about the town when we have things like the Easter egg hunt, the meet
and treat, and the farmer’s market.
The football
program is getting stronger. We have won twice as many games this year as we
did last year, and there are 4 more games to play. I also feel an air of
respect from other schools that we have played.
When you
think like a winner, you become a winner. This is not an eventual thing. You
are a winner when you think you are a winner.
Thinking thoughts of success
Yourself you are going to bless
You are going to win
Again and again
That’s what you need to confess
Think of
you, your team, and your town, all as winners. You will be amazed how catchy
that is.
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