We have, as a city, put points on the board by encouraging arts in the community and programmes that help disaffected areas and disaffected people.
You can re-energise communities by empowering their ability to make a contribution and give them a voice.
You can balance the need to have large-scale tourism catalysts to gain focus and see events pull in an audience to observe what has been achieved.
Again, the acid test is to have the confidence that we won the Capital of Culture on, and that is the diversity and enthusiasm of its people.
Can we confidently bring back people post 2008 and prove our plans and preparation have sustained?
I question our vision. I question our approach. I don't want our city to merit the reward of an enthusiastic competitor that used its preparation time to achieve what can be a shallow victory in 2008.
Champion snooker players win their overall game with a vision that makes them use their cue ball "opportunity" by playing a strategy of three or four moves ahead.
That way, they not only win the immediate game, they remain sustainable champions by using their match play to ensure future success - a lesson as a city we need to grasp very quickly.
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