Cuddy Family Midtown Park Play for All Playground ribbon cutting on Ted Stevens Day 2013 . This playground was Alaska ’ s first fully accessible Boundless Playground for Alaskans of all abilities .
lem , or an event or injustice so dramatic that we are forced to change our perspectives on the world and adapt accordingly . I never thought about inclusivity or access until I HAD TO , until my daughter ’ s birth defect forced me to instantly change my viewpoint , my interaction with the world and my actions . I had to think about access every day . I saw this new challenge as an opportunity rather than a burden and used my new viewpoint to create more play for more people . My daughter was my prompt . What will yours be ?
2 . Initiative . When I left my last job , a co-worker gave me a silver cuff that says , “ Decide your own Destiny .” I wear it each time we cut the ribbon on a new inclusive playground and live by its mantra daily . I often hear writers and speakers tell their audiences they need passion to change the world . But passion without an urgent prompt and some action behind it is simply a strong feeling . Entrepreneurs of any kind only succeed when their passion becomes a decision coupled with an action . ( We don ’ t wait politely for permission very well either .)
3 . Positivity . Positivity is more than believing in yourself ( although Stuart Smalley-style pep talks sometimes help !). Truly positive people and successful entrepreneurs turn every challenge and every decision point into an opportunity to further their vision . Parks for All started because of three children with medical challenges . Today , those challenges are a platform for creating inclusive communities for all children .
4 . Connection . As entrepreneurs , business or social , most of us start with very little . At the time , we were a grassroots group of three mothers with toddlers and our resources were zero . Parks for All only exists , even now , by creatively connecting the dots between people and their passions and putting the resources of each connection to work for the greater good . Since inception , this group has joined with the Municipality of Anchorage Parks & Recreation , Anchorage Park Foundation , the Alaska State Legislature , numerous local and national business partners and non-profits , media outlets , individual supporters , local governments and Anchorage voters to support inclusive play and development . Find this growing list of Parks for All champions at www . facebook . com / parksforall / about .
5 . Tenacity . Seth Godin writes , “ Tenacity is not the same as persistence . Persistence is doing something again and again until it works . It sounds like ‘ pestering ’ for a reason .
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