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2010 North Chicago Community Guide

April 14, 2009

Message from the President...
In his renowned writings, Charles Dickens said "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

Who could forget this gloried phrase from Charles Dickens especially in 2009. What a difference a year makes. Last year, we artfully pondered the notion of moving from good to great. We extolled the virtues of not resting on our laurels but rather seizing the moment and realizing that we could be better. We lauded the ideals of Jim Collins that "good is the enemy of great."  We agreed with Mario Andretti when he said that "determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal will enable you to attain success."

But in the interim, the economy has struggled. All major industries have reported losses of billions of dollars. Our 401k's are now whimsically considered 201k's. There is record unemployment in Lake County. Banks have curtailed lending. Oil prices have fallen and homes have been foreclosed in gigantic numbers. The U.S government has spent billions of dollars on stimulus packages to revive the economy.

So I wonder which view is accurate?  Are the inspiring words of the people noted above just platitudes in the face of the obvious and omnipresent challenges?  Or are they more accurately the best reflection of Charles Dickens assortment of contradictions? Someone once said that crisis = danger + opportunity. Another apparent contradiction, but one that is a bit more empowering. George Bernard Shaw said that "the people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them."  So my message to our Chamber board, members and stakeholders is: Carpe diem. These Latin words mean,  "Seize the day."  We can't live in yesterday's dream or tomorrow's dread, but we can make our organizations better by taking advantage of every opportunity today.

We will not overcome many of these challenges in the near future, but every day we must get up with the determination to make today better than yesterday. George Larimer said "You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction."  In the face of geopolitical conflict of massive proportions, the famed Winston Churchill said "Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.  "So, amid my thanks to all of you for your passion, leadership and support of the North Chicago Chamber, I urge you to continue.

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