Friendly Competition

Sometimes competition can spur people to take action in communities. Keeping the competition on a friendly basis ensures that there are no ill feeling and builds relationships between communities and regions. Sometimes the competition can be within a community or between similar organizations. Often these friendly competitions can help bring awareness to a cause or organization or even raise funds.

At other times, competition can get ugly. Recently, I heard of a community striving for the title of "most beautiful town in Canada". Apparently, one eastern town and one western town in Canada both claim the title and one town is pushing for the sole title. This possibly means legal action. The town who may have to remove the title would have to spend a lot of money to amend websites and print materials. Such a title is important to tourism and marketing strategies for a community. However, is such a title worth strife between two communities so far apart? Tourists will go where they want to visit and a town with a title of "most beautiful town in Canada" miles and miles apart is really in low competition of each other.

Tag lines play an important role in tourism. Tag lines to attract tourists and future residents are important to communities. Branding the community helps to build the community image and reflect community values. When that branding infringes upon another community then something needs to change. However, does it need to change to the point of potential legal implications? That strong competitive value would definitely stand out and send a message.

The answer may be to build on friendly competition where organizations or communities can build relationships and pool resources together, rather than repel each other.

If paradise is where we are, then paradise is everywhere. That means the most beautiful place to be is right where you are!

Nowhere... But Somewhere

Have you ever driven down a rural road and wondered what people "do" because it seems so desolate? Have you ever commented that a community seemed to be in the middle of nowhere? My husband did that as we travelled through BC on our two week tenting trip. We travelled some of the secondary roads where communities were further apart and had few amenities. He wondered if we ever bought property in one of those more remote areas what his mother would do when she visited?!!

Sometimes I think it is about perspective when people comment about "living in the middle of nowhere". Every community is "somewhere" and most people live where they are because they think it is paradise. The perspective could be based on rural experiences or what people believe "somewhere" means to them. Another perspective could clearly be urban versus rural, but even with that perspective there are differences with urban, rural, and remote. Size, proximity, and amenities all contribute to those particular categories. Often those attributes affect funding to a community or individual in a number of ways. I have heard that sometimes when people in rural communities are asked about living rural, they say "this isn't rural- go to the next community- now that is rural!" It really is about perspective!

Perhaps living where some people would label as "nowhere" is about quality of life. What do people value about their quality of life? More and more I hear about people moving into rural communities, giving up their car, growing their food, volunteering in the community, getting away from the hustle and bustle, and seeking solitude. Maybe that is what living "nowhere" is all about; living in a place where you can set the pace yourself and surround yourself with nature and the things you love.

I know of one university professor who usually schedules two or three day meetings in a rural area where direct access to a local airport or buying an espresso is out of the question. She tells me that at first the city folk are in distress because the cell phone coverage is at best, limited, and people don't seem to know what to do with themselves. Finally, by the end of the day people are loosening up and relaxing. The talent of people begin to emerge with guitars and singing, or even a card game or two.

When I hear the comment "this is in the middle of nowhere" I now tend to reflect and wonder what the other person means by that. What gauge is being used to label a community as being in the middle of nowhere? How would someone describe their quality of life in their community relevant to another? Should two communities even be compared for quality of life? I think asking other people in where you live how they view the community in terms of quality of life would be an excellent process to go through. It would help people understand each other's perspective and look for opportunities for growth.

So, when you are driving down that remote, rural road and wondering why people live in the middle of "nowhere" remember, "nowhere is somewhere"... it is someone's paradise!