Whether you want it or not, it is time to vote. Unless you have been in a coma in a cave for the last 18 months, it would be difficult to ignore that collectively we have been ramping up to November 3rd.
I have talked with folks who are excited, hopeful, frightened, angry, exhausted, despondent, overwhelmed… You name it. All of our emotions, good or bad, are at the surface.
So my ask is simple. Please go vote.
I went back (since I’m always curious) and looked at the some of the previous elections. Did you know that in the last 12 presidential elections (1972 forward) less than 57% of eligible voters cast a ballot in each election? One year it was 49%! In the 2016 election 55% of eligible voters cast ballots.
Think about that for a minute. Only half of our collective voices are used to decide the direction of the country for ALL of us! For all of the toxic vitriol blasted onto social media, from both sides of the aisle, at the end of the day only half of those folks cast a ballot. I have trouble understanding the mindset that, “It doesn’t matter if I vote”. Nothing could be farther than the truth! This year seems to matter more than most.
We talk about voting as being a civic duty. A privilege. It is, but there is more to it than that. What is in it for you? It is the bedrock of my coaching practice that we each have a purpose and role to play in the bigger world around us. You showing up in your family and at your work is vital for all of the rest of us. Participating in the community is part of being the individual. By voting you get to use your voice to advocate for what you want. You get to fulfill part of your purpose.
Have you made a plan about how you are going to participate? Have you considered wait times? Will you need to review the ballot items before you arrive? Has Covid changed any of your regular voting norms?
This election will likely be the most important political event in our lifetimes. Regardless of civic duty or privilege, there is something in it for you. It is time to go vote. – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life