IslandVibesIOP.com 9 CIVICS Mayor’s Message Practice positivity every opportunity you get By Phillip Pounds, Mayor, Isle of Palms We recently held our municipal inauguration where we administered the oath to our newly elected council members and mayor. It is always a special night with friends and family in attendance to witness this event in a loved one’s life. After everyone was sworn in, I made some brief remarks. Some of those are below: Each new year brings a certain amount of hope, promise and anticipation. A recent article in The New York Times stated: “Cynicism is vastly on the rise,” but experts say it’s reversible if people cultivate hope that another future is possible. One expert stated: “While optimism is the belief that the future will be better, hope is the belief that we have the power to make it so.” Think about that for a minute and how that approach could change things personally or as a community. According to this article, to cultivate hope, people need three things: 1. They need to be able to envision a better future. 2. They need the willpower or motivation to move toward that future. 3. And, they must be able to chart “a path from where they are to where they want to be.” So, how can we be more hopeful? Experts say that people can set specific goals and then “begin brainstorming the pathways or road maps” to achieve them. That can start small. Additionally, replace cynicism with skepticism. “Skepticism is not believing that everything will turn out great, but also not prejudging things as terrible, either.” That can simply mean speaking more positively about other people. People gossip three times as much about the selfish things others do than about the generous things they do. To address that, it is suggested we practice “positive gossip.” Each evening this author and his family try to share one story of something positive that somebody else did that day. The research finds that when you know you’re going to have to share something, you pay a lot more attention to it. This article was a great reminder of some things totally in our control and how to bring some positive thinking into our daily lives. When a new year begins, some of us make resolutions. I hope we will all resolve to be an example for other municipalities to follow in how we live life – our approach to problem solving, our interactions, our willingness to help others, our generosity and our respectful approach to each other. To our residents, we are nine fellow residents that you have elected to represent you. Thank you for this opportunity! These are roles you have chosen us for that allow us to use our time, talent and energy to help make this community better. I know we won’t agree on all decisions, but I hope we can keep perspective and realize that many other municipalities would welcome having our list of “issues” and “problems.” Thank you for the opportunity to serve! Phillip Pounds, Mayor IOP 843-252-5359 ppounds@iop.net MAKE CONNECTIONS WITHOUT BOOKING EXPENSIVE GOLF TRIPS IN APRIL 2025, MOUNT PLEASANT MAGAZINE RAN THIS CAMPAIGN GENERATED MORE THAN 300,000 IMPRESSIONS. REACH ATTENDEES AT THESE ICONIC EVENTS GEOFENCING THE MASTERS ALL WEEK LONG AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL FOLLOWED BY THE HERITAGE IN HILTON HEAD ALLOWS ISLAND VIBES TO REACH ATTENDEES AT TWO OF GOLF’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS.
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