A Balanced Approach: Key Insights for Communities to Realize Their Dreams

Looking to make an impact in your community?

As a professional community planner, Robert D. Balmes has worked in over a dozen states in the private sector, and at all levels of government for a wide variety of community planning, transportation, and economic development initiatives. Based on his diverse professional experiences, Robert believes that the most effective way to achieve long-term success for any community endeavor is by taking a balanced approach. By balance, he infers having a strong individual and organizational foundation, and following a well structured planning process.

By reading this book, you will learn how to achieve success based on:

The Foundation... Learn the Foundation for creating success by understanding the emotional and intellectual capacities for pursuing a community endeavor. The five elements of the Foundation include: Hope, Passion, Reality Check, Endless Possibilities, Respect.

The Process... A structured and comprehensive approach is provided, which includes an emphasis on visioning, empowerment, collaboration, and decision-making. Vision, Planning for Action, Building Toward Consensus, Taking Action, Realization.

Robert states that opportunities may be abundant in our society, but what happens when that one golden opportunity comes, which has the potential to transform your life and the lives of your organization and community? Will you be ready? Do you have everything you need from your organization to succeed? Are you truly confident that success will be realized? Don't take an opportunity to realize your dreams lightly, or assume that everything will work out just fine. Be as well prepared as possible, with a strong foundation of support and direction, and with a great plan to lead your organization forward.

The perspectives shared by Robert in this book are truly innovative, and reflect an integration of positive thinking with creative, practical approaches to realizing your dreams. As Robert states in the book, "When you take a balanced approach, anything and everything is possible!" All dreams in life are meant to be realized.