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10CHALLENGES OR OPPORTUNITIESBy Jay Hall, KAC Deputy Director & General Counsel2025 can either be about challenges or opportunities. We each have a choice about which attitude we will approach the new year with. That single decision about which lens through which you will view 2025 will have a profound impact on what happens to you this year.That does not mean that choosing one viewpoint will eliminate all obstacles or choosing another viewpoint will guarantee success. But make no mistake, the viewpoint you choose will impact how you view each choice and each thing that happens.Challenges are things that are in our way. They are things that keep us from otherwise achieving our goals. Challenges are often viewed as unwelcome. They are problems. If we view 2025 in the lens of challenges, that has the effect of seeing the inevitable unplanned instances as unwelcome interruptions of our otherwise perfectly thought-out plans. That does not mean that we cannot overcome those challenges. But that lens will require that we understand that 2025 will require resiliency, creativity and concentration.On the other hand, if we choose to view 2025 as being about opportunities, we will take a wholly different approach to the year. Whereas challenges can be scary because they are things that must be overcome, opportunities can be intimidating because they force us from our comfort zone. Opportunities invite us to step through a door and into the unknown. Opportunities also divert us from our otherwise perfectly thought-out plans and send us down a new path. Approaching 2025 through the lens of opportunity requires that we understand that 2025 will be about courage, enthusiasm and open-mindedness.Neither approach is wrong. Viewing 2025 in terms of challenges means we need to be willing to change our perfectly thought-out plans and creatively find new solutions. It means we must be resilient in the face of these challenges and always keep our end goal in sight as we encounter the challenges that could otherwise block our view. Likewise, if we view 2025 in terms of opportunities, we have to courageously embrace the unknown, being willing to step away from our perfectly thought-out plans as weembark on a new journey. It meansour attitude must remain enthusiasticeven when things take a different turn than what we may have intended, and that we remain open-minded to finding new solutions in the midst of these new opportunities.The funny thing is the challenges and opportunities are exactly the same either way. 2025 will be all about which tools you use to tackle the year. If it is courage and enthusiasm, you are probably looking at things as opportunities. If it is creativity and resiliency, you are probably viewing things as challenges. Your outlook will determine which tools you need to be successful. Match your tools to your outlook. Happy New Year! n GGiAvWCOUNTY COMMENT 4 %u2022 Kansas Open Records Act%u2022 Engaging the Public%u2022 State & County IssuesComment: There was too much time in the exhibition hall. Too much down time on Wednesday afternoon.The Exhibition featured 89 businesses or organizations. Many return year after year and only 12 were there for the first time. Their products and services represent many of the products and services you use to serve your county%u2019s residents. Consider the exhibition as an additional opportunity to learn %u2013 like a mini-workshop. Take advantage of their knowledge and ask them questions about issues you face at home. While they are there hoping to bring you on as a new customer, they have a lot of knowledge they will share if you take the time to ask, and look for different perspectives from other similar businesses. Think about using down times or breaks to network with people from other counties. Ask how they solve some of the same questions that face you in your county. Use the conference in its entirety for worthwhile information that you can take home.In addition, sbecause theybreak in the esince participand didn%u2019t takare also workoffering morExhibition. We want to tspecial thankconference eFoley EquipmShowcase & Johnson CouThe Victor L. several businbingo game.I enjoyedExhibitionice to vito rush othe openspoke rigmarketin%u2013 AttendeeWorkers Compensation Insurance,By Kansas Counties, For Kansas CountiesWhat does KWORCC provide for counties?%u2022 Safety training &certification%u2022 Stable premiums%u2022 Trustees are countyofficials%u2022 Trustees elected bycounties%u2022 Trustees overseeoperations%u2022 Quarterly reports tomembers%u2022 Best claims practices%u2022 Periodic safetyinspections%u2022 Combined purchasingpower%u2022 Owned by countiesWorkers compensation insurance exclusively for Kansas counties since 1992.www.kworcc.com 1-877-357-1069