The Sunshine Report Get Started! ‘Karen and Jay highlight the importance and many benefits of ‘taking action!’ Have you ever had a great idea? Something very important? That you really wanted to accomplish? But you found yourself stuck. Perhaps procrastinating - pondering how to make it happen. So, you never got started. Sadly, time passed – and it never came to be? It’s a familiar story for so many people with seemingly great ideas and ambitions. But thankfully, there is a pretty straightforward – although not always easy - solution. The key is to just get started. Take that first step forward. Take action!  If you’re a regular reader of the Sunshine Report, you’re probably familiar with my great respect and admiration for the 26th president of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt. For those who aren’t, a good portion of my own personal philosophy and outlook on life is due to the wisdom and vision that he seemed to carry with him throughout his life. Importantly, there was a particular insight he once shared that I often think of and use, especially in difficult moments. It helps me not only make decisions – but it generates a positive power to get started and take action. Roosevelt said: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” In other words, you will never find the perfect time or the perfect conditions to move forward. But that’s O.K. Just get started. Make the best of what you have and where you are – and good things will happen. It’s a particularly subtle phrase from a man who is so often quoted, but it’s a quote I believe to be one of his most powerful. It also has incredible staying power even in this day and age where the desire for perfection can sometimes hamper us from achieving our goals. The value and power found in his words lies not with just ‘making due’ but with being resourceful and being able to maximize what we have in any situation. When we make the most of what we have, we not only tend to go above and beyond what we thought we were capable of, we also create opportunities that might have otherwise been overlooked. This helps encourage our own creativity and ingenuity. When we’re in a position where resources are limited, constraints often compel us to find solutions to problems we otherwise would not have come across. This can inspire innovation that itself leads to new opportunities. Even further, by following Roosevelt’s philosophy, we also train ourselves to become more resilient and adaptable. As we each know, life can throw curve balls our way at any second, altering or even changing plans we had all together. But when we take a “do what you can” approach as I like to call it, we teach ourselves over time how to navigate challenges and setbacks. In doing so, we increase our chances of turning what may at first seem a negative into a net positive, all while fostering personal growth and continued self-improvement. This isn’t to say that ‘doing what you can with what you have’ doesn’t require patience and some good old fashioned hard work, and there may even be days where you wonder if it’s even the right approach at all. But the truth is, oftentimes when we feel circumstances aren't ideal or we don’t have enough resources at our disposal or the work is too hard, inaction and procrastination can settle in, which have their own adverse effects. Even when we take small incremental steps, we’re still making progress. When we take those small steps, focus on what we have in front of us and stay determined even in the face of adversity, the real reward isn’t only what we gain when we’ve reached our goal, but the lessons we learn along the way. Please a moment to think about a few key objectives you have in your life – even now – and see if by addressing them with a ‘do what you can, with what you have, where you are’ approach might just give you the progress and inspiration you need in finding success! Read The Report Hero Pups: Taking Action to Help Veterans and First Responders Read More Theodore Roosevelt in NH – TR and the Granite State   Read More Positive Profile of the Week: Don Hague and the Sugar River Golf Club Investors Group - Swinging a Community into Action! This week we are delighted to highlight a Newport, NH area resident, Don Hague and a fellow group of golf enthusiasts who decided to take action, and as a result have made a terrifically positive impact on the Newport community! And, in so doing, contributed to the exciting revitalization of Newport and the efforts of the Sunshine Initiative! Back in the summer of 2022, the golf industry across the United States was in its third year of banner results as people seeking relief from the isolation imposed by COVID's social restrictions flocked to golf courses for a safe social activity. Yet things were unsettled at the Newport Golf Club. After three years of absentee ownership by a Kentucky bank, members were disgruntled as the course was not being properly maintained and equipment not replaced as it aged and went unrepaired. Clearly, the course was ripe for a real estate development flip which would bring to an end a 100 year tradition of community golf in the tightly knit community of Newport NH. Meanwhile, that summer, Newport area resident, Don Hague and the fellow members of his regular foursome would gather each Saturday at 7am to enjoy a round of golf as the greens and fairways were misted with early morning dew. 'What if we could talk the bank into selling at a reasonable price' became a common theme. The bank was approached and yet remained unmoved in their unrealistic demands. But over the course of the summer the group made it clear to the bank that they were serious, sufficiently funded, and ready to act. By summer's end the bank rethought its position, decided to accept the local group’s offer and the deal is closed in November with a group of investors that had grown from the original four to a greatly expanded group of thirteen. The Sugar River Golf Club Investor group took action and funded the purchase as well as providing additional capital to bring the course up to par after years of neglect. Reaction from the community could not have been more enthusiastic. Don became the face of the new team at the golf course, and in the first five months, before golfing operations had hardly commenced, membership enrollment more than doubled. Play from the public was up over 30 percent year over year, and the community got deeply involved in activities at the Club more than ever. The Clubhouse was renovated, the opening of the Hole-In-One Diner for breakfast and lunch was a shot in the arm to a community that lost its beloved breakfast restaurant, The Country Kitchen, more than three years earlier. The Bag Mutha Chukers moved to the Sunrise Pavilion at the club to host Corn Hole matches each Wednesday night, and the Club sold out its inaugural Spring Gala much to the delight of the attendees. Don’s always looking for ways to promote the Club so back in May they sponsored the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Business after Hours’ event. Chamber members were encouraged to bring a co-worker and mingle with other area professionals. And this past June, Don was one of the keynote speakers at the Sunshine Week Newport event that was held at The Old Courthouse. He told the story of how they acquired the Golf Club and also shared about some of the exciting tournaments and events they will be hosting over the summer and fall. He noted that while many of golfers on the course are from the local area, there are quite a few who come from all across the state and even from neighboring states. A lot of action remains to be taken. Running a golf course is always a challenge and this years' floods have presented unique challenges to the Club's Superintendent and green’s crew as the Sugar River has overflowed its banks three times so far this year. But the club has managed to stay open more than 99 percent of the time, improve golf conditions, upgrade the fleet of golf carts, bring on a Golf Pro, add instruction and clinics, add solar panels to the Sunrise Pavilion, and undertake a myriad other projects to make “The Gem of the Sugar River Valley” a fun place to be. You’ll find all the information you need at [link removed] Huge thanks and congratulations to Don, and the entire team of investors and enthusiasts who have helped preserve the Newport Golf Course and provide the enjoyment and comradery of the golfing experience for our wonderful community. Quote of the Week "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."  - Theodore Roosevelt     Jay Lucas | www.JayLucas.us  Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email Jay Lucas | 7 Portwalk Pl, Portsmouth, NH 03801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]