Cornett discovered that Oklahoma City had a problem when reading "Most Obese Cities" in Men's Fitness. Instead of pushing the problem aside, Cornett took action. His solution surprised me. He simply shaped transportation around walking instead of driving. The small change he made led to Oklahoma City being feature in the "Fittest Cities" in a copy of Men's Fitness five years later.
Cornett really inspired me. He could have easily overlooked the article, or simply have no interest in helping the citizens of Oklahoma City slim down. However, he took interest in the health of the citizens in Oklahoma city, and didn't let the daunting task scare him. Reflecting on his actions made me realize how often I do the exact opposite. In situations where I am not sure whether I will succeed or not, I tend to find ways to get out of them in fear of failure. I learned from Cornett that when you face a challenge head on, the result can be extremely rewarding.
Hi Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post because I was planning on eventually watching this TED talk, and it was great hearing your opinion about it. First, I agree that the title really makes the video stand out because the thought of a town losing a million pounds in five years is unbelievable. Also, it’s hard to imagine how merely reshaping transportation can have such a huge impact on a culture. It actually makes me think that there must be an endless amount of creative and simple solutions to common, everyday problems. Next, I love the way you praised Mayor Mick Cornett by saying, "Instead of pushing the problem aside, Cornett took action... and [he] didn't let the daunting task scare him." Cornett definitely deserves the praise in my opinion, and what you took away from his actions is very inspirational to me. In the future, I will certainly try to "face [challenges] head on" instead of simply avoiding "situations where I am not sure whether I will succeed or not" because you were right when you observed that risk and effort could be really rewarding; after all, Cornett’s risk was certainly fruitful for himself and for the citizens of Oklahoma City. Nice post!
When I watched the TED talk, I too was completely shocked at how the Mayor of Oklahoma City could change his city from Men's Fitness magazine's "Most Obese Cities" to Men Fitness magazine's "Fittest Cities". He made the simple change to make people walk more than drive, which transformed the fitness of the citizens of the city. Yours and his initiative to change the way you live has also inspired me to act in a state of opportunity instead of walking away from the open door. Like you, I also feared failure and didn’t want to take too many risks, but now, knowing that there are people out there who will take a risk for either a big reward or a big failure, I have changed my mentallity to hopefully start taking risks in which I can hopefully get a big reward in the end. Your goals to recreate Mick Cornett’s success in your own life has inspired me to try and do the same and integrate Mick Cornett’s success into my own life in every way I can.
ReplyDelete