There are a few beliefs that we hold as Americans that define us. One is the exceptionalism of our country. We have a fundamental value of liberty. Most countries have constitutions that tell what limitations the citizenry have; ours places limitations on what the government can do. We realize it is this freedom forms a basis for people to achieve great things.
Another value is we believe that our children will have a better life in the future than what we have experienced. One large reason why elections move in the ways they do is that people will select leaders who they believe will offer a brighter future and deny those who say that our best days are behind us and we need to elect them to oversee the decline. Our basis is one of optimism for the future and not that of pessimism.
Today in America is not a time when we bask in the glory days of the past. Our best days are before us and we all play a part in making them great. Our new president said last week, “Now is not the time to downsize our dreams, but to set our sights higher than before for our country.” This speech made me remember Ronald Reagan’s comments that it is now morning in America. We are up for a new day with new opportunities. We do not sit on the sunset of the American promise; we are at the sunrise of a better tomorrow.
Each of us in our positions in credit unions play a part as agents of change to make our country great. We do this with service to our fellow citizen. This is done in many ways. Some are helping a child begin a lifetime of thrift with their first savings account. Some may be helping that teenager prepare a budget to help achieve the goal of their first car. Some may be helping a young couple purchase their first house. Some may be helping a business grow and expand, thus providing more jobs for our neighbors and wealth for our communities.
The work you do to server others financially is important. This field also offers great opportunities for growth and a true career for those who pursue it. For those who do, you will have a lifetime of making a difference in the lives of people around you.
Today is the day when we should recognize that we are all agents for positive growth and change in our communities. We need to fulfill the important role we play as we continue to make our neighborhoods, communities, states, and country grow to reach new heights of potential. Ideas that were only a dream, will become a goal and then achieved reality. The work we do in our credit unions, play an important part in our country’s future.
Each of us can make a difference. One day this week as I left the credit union that we rent space from to go to lunch. I had some member that I did not know, walk beside me on the sidewalk outside of the building. “I love this place,” he said. “I will never go to another bank because these people believe in me and help me. I love these people.”
It is time to realize the potential that each of us have to change lives. We can turn neighbors into members and members into raving fans as we help them achieve more than they thought they could.