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There’s a TED talk titled “How to Start a Movement” that I was introduced to recently.

In it, a man is shirtless and dancing in front of a crowd.  At this point, he is a “lone nut” – a crazy person dancing alone.  If no one joins him he remains a nut.  But, he’s doing something fun, something cool – something different, so another person does join in.  Now there are two crazy people dancing, but because they are together it has made them less nutty, and has lowered the risk for anyone else who wants to join.

This starts the “early adapters” curve, and many people rush to be the first to form the movement, and soon the movement is the norm.  Everyone is dancing and having a great time, and the first man has become a leader BECAUSE the second person chose to follow the lone nut.

The video ends with the speaker saying, “…when you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first one to stand up and join in…”

There are some lone nuts in the city of Cabot, Arkansas right now doing great things.  Get up and join them.

See the full three minute talk here:

A year ago, I knew very little about Cabot.  I couldn’t name the mayor, or a single city council person.  I didn’t think my voice mattered, or that my opinion was wanted.  My time was valuable and attending a city council meeting was not a priority.   

I started realizing Cabot has the potential to be more than a bedroom community.  This city could be a tourist destination.  It’s an excellent location for a farm to table restaurant.  An educational makerspace would compliment our excellent schools and thrive here.  Why not?  Anything is possible.

Last fall, I told my husband that we were going to make this city our home and turn it into everything we want it to be!  (His loving gaze suggested he was a bit skeptical.)

I started attending city meetings:  City Council, City Planning, A&P.  So. Many.  Meetings.  I wanted to be a part of the conversation that shapes our community.

My opinion of our civic leaders is that they want to do what’s best for our city.  They love it when citizens show up and give input into the issues they’re deliberating, and every meeting has a time for community input.

I promise that a city council meeting is not the most thrilling time you’ll have, but will you commit to attending just one city council meeting in the next few months?  The meetings are always published on the City of Cabot’s Facebook page – they are usually the 1st (work session) and 3rd (official meeting) Mondays of the month. All are open to the public and are held at the city annex – downtown by the railroad tracks.  A year ago, I didn’t see myself attending a city council meeting.  But, a few weeks ago, I steadied my nerves, approached the podium, spoke to our city council people, and I made a difference.

Will you join me?  I’ll see you there.

When I started this thing called community building – almost a year ago now – I was excited.  As I started to dig deeper and research how other citizen groups had made changes and moved forward I started to notice a common theme:  Don’t Quit.  Almost every site, book, workshop, and article I came across assured me that there would be times when I would want to walk away.  The key to perseverance, they all agreed, was to know why I am in this.  What motivated me in the first place?

They were right.  I have wanted to give up.  I have questioned what we’re doing, and why we have to fight so hard to do things that are wanted and needed.

I don’t know where we are in this story, but I am deeply hoping we’re at the climax, headed to the denouement.  Lately, I’ve been revisiting my why frequently.  My why is simply “Because I feel change is possible with persistence.”

To revive my spirits, I keep revisiting this poem entitled “Don’t Quit” by an Anonymous author, and I hope it inspires you as well:

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, 
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, 
When the funds are low and the debts are high, 
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, 
When care is pressing you down a bit, 
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns, 
As every one of us sometimes learns, 
And many a failure turns about, 
When he might have won had he stuck it out; 
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow– 
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than 
It seems to a faint and faltering man, 
Often the struggler has given up, 
When he might have captured the victor’s cup, 
And he learned too late when the night slipped down, 
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out– 
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, 
And you never can tell how close you are, 
It may be near when it seems so far, 
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit– 
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

Placemaking is “a people centered approach to building strong, vibrant communities”.  That sounds great to me – I want Cabot to be a strong, vibrant community, and I want the path to be citizen led.  Is Placemaking possible for Cabot?  Yes!  Let’s walk through what it looks like.

First, the people in our community gather together and talk about what we’d like our city to look like – we discuss what would keep us in Cabot.  What does Cabot need to make it a place where people want to visit, live, play, and work?  I know what I’d like to see.  What would you like to see?  How can Cabot better support you as a citizen?  Let’s write down all of our ideas and call it “List #1”.

Now, let’s think about this from another angle.  What can Cabot support?  The buildings and spaces in Cabot offer many opportunities for places to bring the community together, but what are the BEST amenities for our region?  Let’s write down all of those ideas and call it “List #2”.

Finally, let’s take those two lists and overlay them – this gives us the ideal places for Cabot.

Now, we know what Cabot needs to become a thriving community.  We just need to execute those ideas.

Let’s take it a step further and create an implementation plan for each one of those places – a step-by-step action based guide for taking the idea from paper to reality.  We’ll even find entrepreneurs willing to take ownership of each plan, and we’ll help them find funding.

This is placemaking.  What can our great city create to attract tourists and younger generations?

The Cabot Foundation for Arts & Culture with the support of the Mayor and the A&P Commission is bringing Placemaking to Cabot.  Get involved and  learn more at CabotArt.com.