“Don’t bite off more than you can chew”, the words of my Mother still resound in my head. She advised me not to attempt so many things that I could not do any of them well. I was taught to value a job well done and if I spread myself too thin it would not be feasible to excel in all the things, I had committed to participating in. I have applied this theory to my adult life. I am very careful not to overextend myself with too many commitments. To whatever activity I am engaged in, I want to give my very best, lest I disappoint someone or something that is relying on my participation. Balance and self-discipline are important influences in my life. Consequently, when my children were young, I insisted on not overwhelming them with too many activities and commitments. The belief that a job well done far outweighed multiple tasks done “half assed” stayed with me through those parenting years. If my children became overcommitted something would suffer something would not receive the very best, they could offer.
To overcommit is defined as: to allocate more resources to a purpose than can be provided or to allocate resources in excess of the capacity for replenishment. I believe the Town of Thompson has been operating in a deficit of resources and provisions for quite some time. The most important thing that can happen right now is to set a priority listing and timeline for work and maintenance, before taking on new projects or tasks. Our Town needs to maintain what we already have in place and make a concerted effort to improve the properties and facilities that we currently own rather than taking on new projects or endeavors.
Our Town has a massive hole of neglect to crawl out of, created from years of not prioritizing work. There is an extensive amount of work to undertake. Some things are minor but there are a lot of MAJOR projects ahead of us. When faced with multiple large scale tasks (as Thompson is) one of three courses of action can take place. Multiple large-scale tasks seem overwhelming and the first reaction might be to avoid, stick one’s head in the sand and hope the problem magically disappears. The second reaction might be to try to attempt all things in a haphazardly manner, not fully resolving the underlying issue but rather placing a Band-Aid on the situation and hoping it sticks long enough until the real issue can be addressed. Over the years, the Town has handled the vast load of work in either of those ways and it has not helped improve the quality of this Town we call home. There has been no focus, no task priority, and no achievement of firm goals. The third action that I refer to is the one I would like to see for the Town of Thompson. It requires the following: making a list of tasks, prioritizing the tasks, estimating the cost for each task, constructing a timeline for completion of each task and getting to work accomplishing the tasks in an exceptional way, one by one. Checking the boxes off methodically, rather than randomly. Facing the challenges head on rather than sinking it into the sand.
Thompson has many wonderful qualities, and I am happy to call this town my home. I know we need to do a better job staying focused on what’s right in front of us, instead of taking on new projects and overcommitting the limited resources we have.