Page 2 • Hometown News • Thursday, September 24, 2020
Hometown News
Ambition puts a ladder against the sky -By Harvey Mackay U.S. President Calvin Coolidge was very skillful at turning away any questions he didn’t like. However, in 1928, after Coolidge issued his famous “I do not choose to run” statement, a persistent reporter looking for more details followed Coolidge to the
29442 120th St. Grey Eagle, MN 56336 Phone: 320-285-2323
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door of his library. “Exactly why don’t you want to be president again?” the reporter asked. Coolidge looked the reporter squarely in the eyes and replied, “Because there is no chance for advancement.” Does that mean that Coolidge had no ambition? Hardly. He was just a man of few words, and he wasn’t about to waste any on an overly ambitious reporter. Ambition was once condemned as unnatural or even immoral in much of the world. However, in the modern world and particularly in America, we have come to idealize self-made figures. People like steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller who, without education or status, transformed the scale of business corporations. Or Frederick Douglass, the ex-slave who became a learned and articulate advocate for his people. And Elizabeth Arden, the cosmetics icon who built an empire on beauty. America was settled by generations of immigrants who came here with a burning ambition to make something of themselves and their families. These men and women had the broadest range of opportunity in the world, so it’s logical
that ambition should flourish in America. This ambition is essentially what the Declaration of Independence described as “the pursuit of happiness.” Let’s face it, ambition requires hard work. Most people want to improve themselves, but not too many want to work at it. I’m a proud member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, named for the renowned author whose tales of overcoming adversity through unyielding perseverance and basic moral principles captivated the public in the late 19th century. His writings were characterized by a “rags-toriches” narrative. If you are looking for a job, part of the process is to show your prospective new employers that you are ambitious. You can’t just say you have ambition; you have to demonstrate it. You’ve accepted challenges. You’ve made things happen. You have a lot to be proud of. And you can make a contribution to the company. But having ambition alone is not enough. You have to know what you want, if not specifically, at least generally. You need to know what you value. The best place to start is to identify times when you were happy, proud and fulfilled, according to advice from the Mission website. Look for common denominators to determine what your true values are. Focus on your strengths, not weaknesses. Everyone has weaknesses, and those can’t always be overcome. But they are only a problem if you let them become an excuse for not pushing forward. When you look to your strengths, you can form goals that allow you to maximize your best points. Ambitious people usually know how to ask for help to keep growing. Maybe someone can offset your weaknesses and help you develop your strengths. And
return the favor. Helping people breeds loyalty and support. Follow your dreams. Once you have decided what your ultimate goal is – for now – make a plan and get started. It may not happen overnight, but it won’t happen at all unless you take the first step. As Henry Ford said, “The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.” And then set even higher goals. A man picked up a hitchhiker, a young fellow who looked like he’d been traveling for a while. The two started a conversation, and the driver asked his passenger about his plans for the future. The hitchhiker explained he was hiking around the country, camping and taking in the sights. Then when he returned home he planned to make a fortune in the tech industry. He had an idea that was going to make him a millionaire. “Do people really do that?” asked the driver. “Make money in the tech world? Sure,” came the reply. “No,” the driver said. “I mean, do they take the time out from life instead of getting to work on making their dreams a reality?” There is no time like the present to put your ambition to work. Mackay’s Moral: Everyone should take some time daily to look at the road map of their ambition. Reprinted with permission from nationally syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” “We Got Fired!...And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us,” “The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World,” and “Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door.”
Upcoming Events
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 • 14th Annual Hog Roast from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Grey Eagle United Methodist Church. See ad on page 4. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 • Public Square Rosary at noon at St. Mary’s parking lot, Upsala. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 • Flu Shots 12-2 p.m. at the Village View, Grey Eagle. See ad on page 8. • Melrose Legion & Auxiliary Monthly Meeting at 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 • Quality Bluegill Initiative Proposal Meeting for Beauty, Buck, Cedar (71), Mary, Moose, Lily-Long Lakes from 6-8 p.m. at the Long Prairie City Hall. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 • St. Rosa Jaycees Red Cross Blood Drive from 2-7 p.m. at the St. Rose of Lima Church basement, St. Rosa. ALBANY TOWNSHIP • Meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany City Hall. • Planning Commission meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.
at the Albany City Hall. BURNHAMVILLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Burtrum City Hall. BURTRUM CITY COUNCIL • Meets the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. FEET FIRST CLINIC • Meets the 1st Tuesday of the month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Holdingford City Hall. FOOD DISTRIBUTION • Ruby’s Pantry Food Distribution first Saturday of the Month from 10-11 a.m. at River of Live Church, Sauk Centre. FREEPORT CITY COUNCIL • Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. FREEPORT SENIOR MEETING • Meets the third Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. with cards/Bingo/coffee/dessert. GREY EAGLE CITY COUNCIL • Meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. GREY EAGLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the first Monday of the month at 8 p.m.
STEARNS CO. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY • Meets at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Monday of the month at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Albany. SUNSHINE CLUB • Meets every Monday, weigh in starts at 8; meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the Village View Apartments, Grey Eagle. ST. ROSA CITY COUNCIL • Meets the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Community Park building. SWANVILLE CITY COUNCIL • First Tuesday after the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. SWANVILLE TOWNSHIP • Meets the second Tuesday of the month at 8:30 p.m. at the Swanville Fire Hall. TODD COUNTY REPUBLICANS • Meets second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church, Clarissa. UPSALA CITY COUNCIL • Meets the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m.
If you have an upcoming event or meeting, please let us know by email: htnews@meltel.net or call 320-285-2323.
Temperatures Date
9/16 9/17 9/18 9/19 9/20 9/21 9/22
High 63 55 61 70 72 77 81
Low 41 37 41 41 52 52 50
Friday
Partly cloudy. High: 76 Low: 52
Weekend Weather Saturday
Mostly sunny. High: 71 Low: 51
Sunday
Mostly sunny. High: 64 Low: 49