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Act bigger, think bigger

I was reminded recently of a story about some of Marietta’s earliest and most successful businessmen, the Beren Brothers. They owned Okmar oil and Interstate Pipe and Supply and they are the namesake of Marietta College’s tennis courts on Fourth Street.

The story goes that one of the brothers (let’s assume it was Henry) and his land man were driving in north Texas one day looking to lease some ground on which to drill an oil well. After driving for a while they came upon a large and beautiful ranch. Henry said “let’s go lease that man’s ranch” but his assistant said that the ground across the road, which was fallow and undeveloped, would be much cheaper to lease. Henry said no, I want to lease that Rancher’s land because success follows success and that is obviously a successful man. They did lease that land and it apparently turned into one of their most successful oil fields. And that ground across the street; after being leased cheaply by others and drilled many times, came up short. I greatly admire Henry’s (and his brother Adolf’s) sense of abundance vs. scarcity. His grasping of the fact that it’s OK to invest more money in this land, because here is abundance. he must have sensed that by being a part of this successful land, I too will be successful and abundant. Across the road is scarcity and while it may be cheap and easy, I only want abundance in my life.

Sometimes it easy for us in a small town to take the scarcity viewpoint. We always hear that we don’t have the funds, the talent, the opportunities that are elsewhere and that we don’t have the resources others have. That my friends is a scarcity viewpoint. It’s not the resources that matter, it’s the resourcefulness. It’s our resourcefulness, our grass roots efforts and our bootstrapping that will create success all around us. The more resourceful we are the more abundant we will be, the more abundance we will then attract. How can we be more resourceful? First, by thinking bigger, acting bigger and seeing that we do have great abundance here. An abundance of water, land, beauty, energy, resources and desire. Secondly, tell everyone that owns a business (that doesn’t live here already) how abundant we are, because we want them to move here and start a new business. Thirdly, celebrate and support everyone here in the Valley that has a business, or wants to start a business, no matter how big or small. Encourage all ‘newbies’ to make the leap and take the risk for without risk we will not have any reward. Don’t be afraid of a temporary failure for as Thomas Edison said that out of every failure comes success. Fourthly, let’s see in our minds, hearts and actions a new beautification of our downtown business and historic district. New murals, lighted arches, buildings revitalized, abundant vitality all around us.

Lastly, and mostly, let’s start acting bigger, thinking bigger, seeing the abundance around us. Feeling great pride of place and be willing to make the commitments and BIG investments of time and money. Not investments from the government but rather by all of us resourceful and abundant Pioneers. Henry’s brother Adolf bought and paid for Marietta’s first street sweeper because he wanted our town to stay nice and clean. Let’s expect bigger from ourselves and envision abundance all around us. Imagine that every building downtown is full, new tech businesses are popping up in the Valley, factories creating specialty products of all sorts are being built here and entrepreneurs and creatives are budding up all around us. Henry and Adolf saw and felt abundance and in turn they had great abundance in their lives. I’m ready to make them proud of us (and we in turn proud of ourselves). Neighbors, let’s take charge of our future and be abundant! Go to City Council meetings, Main Street meetings, inquire about the Community Foundation and The Chamber of Commerce. Volunteer, donate, share. Let’s turn this town around by depending on ourselves, our own paint brushes and our talents. Very few of us can buy the City a new street sweeper like Adolf did but together we will make Marietta the Pearl of The Greater Ohio Valley again!

Bryan Waller lives in Marietta.

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