What determines whether or not we succeed? Is it luck or karma? Maybe who or what we know? Or what we do and say; how hard we work at what we’re trying to accomplish?

In March’s issue of The Atlantic magazine, writer James Fallows explores this question — not for individuals, but for the incorporated places many of us call home. Fallows and his wife, Deb, took a 54,000-mile journey around America in a single-engine plane with one gigantic question to answer: “Can America Put Itself Back Together Again?”

What they came back with may surprise you: not a definitive answer, but a better sense of what makes the successful places work so well.

Here’s the exciting thing: There are a lot of places in Butler County that fit Fallows’ bill. Just look at the list of common themes he complied from the journey — the things successful cities and towns all seemed to be doing.

- Divisive national politics seem a distant concern to citizens.

- They have local patriots/civic organizers.

- Public-private partnerships are real.

- People know the civic story.

- They have, and invest in, a downtown.

- They are near a research university.

- They have, and care about, a community college.

- They have schools that aren’t scared to experiment.

- They make themselves open and multicultural.

- They have big, long-range plans.

- They have craft breweries.

Sound like someplace you know? Maybe someplace you actually live? This list obviously isn’t “foolproof,” or any sort of guarantee for success. But most people already knew that — and besides, it’s not the point.

The idea of success is likely different in every community in Butler County — What do people in your city, borough or township want to accomplish, and how can you make it happen? — and that’s a strength, not a weakness. But it can often feel as if communal success hinges upon something beyond our control: “We’ll only succeed if we get” someone else to act on something.

The next time that thought creeps into your head, look at this list and try to convince yourself that you’re not capable of learning the story of your community, or donating your time to help out a local project, or taking a trip to the nearest craft brewery to have a beer and a chat with your friends. Whatever you end up doing or talking about, it probably won’t fix the world.

But that’s Fallows’ point: you can either be busy being “hopeless” or you can be busy reinventing yourself and making your slice of the world a better place.

Which of those two options do you think is the cities on Fallows’ list chose?