We all face difficult decisions. Whether it’s at home, work, or in our community, there will be times when we are faced with doing something new, challenging, or something we disagree with. I once read an article that talked about the golden question. It goes something like “What would it take to…” fill in the blank. The author of the article said this question is about inspiring creativity. When it’s so easy to say "no" and come up with all the excuses in the world, this question gets people thinking with solution-oriented ideas. Asking ourselves to think of solutions gets the creative juices flowing. As ideas start to emerge, even seemingly diametrically opposed ideas may start to find creative common ground solutions.

• “What would it take to create a vibrant downtown while protecting open space?”
• “What would it take to protect aircraft safety while addressing citizen concerns?”
• “What would it take to allow for growth while protecting natural resources such as water and dark skies?”
   

These questions inspire us to think creatively instead of quickly shutting the door with the all-too-easy "no." As our valley continues to grow, we’re going to face these types of questions more and more often. One of our goals in our mission is to unite our business community. When we start to discover creative solutions by finding answers to the golden question, “What would it take?” I am confident we’ll find common-ground ideas built on a deep desire to do what is best. You might just be surprised at the answers you find.