Many of us try to be a force for good to those around us. As an older brother once told me, “You can either be a thermometer or a thermostat.” in other words: you can react to the temperature in the room, or you can help to bring the temperature to an appropriate level. Knowing that our behavior affects others, we intentionally chose to see the upside of situations.

But there is a danger in this too. There have been multiple disconnected people in that have called me the Mayor, or asked if I was running for office. This bothers me. The implication is that I’m not being genuine for the purpose of self-promotion. The truth is, there is no real motive but to build my communities.

Being positive with a sense of gravitas has to be balanced with being real and accessible. Otherwise the positive influence we hope to have will be diminished as spin.

What has been your experience with building a strong community?