Where is Natchez-Adams going in the year ahead? It’s a question that’s on the minds of local leaders and many residents.

If you ask elected officials and other community leaders what the focus needs to be, you’ll get a litany of responses — most all of which are important and need attention.

The last couple of years have been challenging in our area. Low oil prices have impacted our economy negatively for a couple of years.

But as Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said recently, we need to all stay positive.

Communities are often led by self-fulfilling prophecies meaning a community will often become what the collective mindset envisions it to be.

If you have no vision and no leadership, the community will decline. That’s a plain and simple fact.

If the community has a collective spirit of togetherness and some vision, the potential is almost limitless.

Look at the once small town of Madison, north of Jackson.

Years ago the town had a vision and its leaders stuck to its guns in insisting that the area would have a higher quality of life. Now the town is growing and is considered one of the nicest small towns in the country.

The Miss-Lou could have equal success given some vision, some hard work and positive patience. But if we allow the “sky is falling” crowd to control the conversation, that forward progress is going to be difficult.