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ATTITUDE July's President's Message Dear Members, As we are entering the Summer months, I hope this message finds everyone doing well. I was thinking about all the negativity that seems to be so pervasive in our society today. The polarization that plays out on social media, the 24-hour news channels that continue to bombard us with negative stories about the economy and the politics of the day. At the same time, we must contemplate the ability in our business community to take charge of our own local destiny and reinforce a positive message. Despite all of the challenges in our society, we as organizations and as individuals must strive to remain positive. If we really adopt this as a true attitude, both in spirit and in practice, we can continue to make all the difference here in Hunterdon County. Hunterdon has so much to celebrate, just go no further to look at the great communities that make up Hunterdon County. A few weeks ago, we celebrated Hunterdon County Community Day and literally thousands of individuals came together from all points in the County and put forth a great cross representation of business, non-profits, government and community groups. In June, we also had our 3rd HackHunterdon event, which brought together technologists from throughout the County who spent 24 hours straight developing ideas into a program or app that by the end of the event was demonstrated to work. The energy from such a diverse group of individuals at all stages of their careers and education was both impressive and inspiring. Let’s spread that enthusiasm and make it contagious. Years back someone gave me a copy of poem by Charles Swindell regarding attitude. It really strikes a chord on how each of us reacts to the challenges in our lives, both personal and professional. I thought it would be appropriate to reprint that reflection and share it with you. Let’s continue to move the needle of expanding Hunterdon County’s Business Community, ultimately making it stronger and a place where businesses can thrive. The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes. ---Charles Swindell Sincerely, Christopher J Phelan President & CEO