Vote For Yourself
Written by Dave Lorenzo on November 10, 2016 / Leadership
Governmental leadership at the local level is important and necessary. The people who run your city, your town, or your community, have the ability to impact your life.
National elections and, to some extent, even elections at the state level, are theater.
During his/her term a state leader or federal official may perform a handful of acts that touch our lives in some way.
Many of us become emotionally invested in the people who ascend to these roles. We live under the illusion this person, when elected, will make a dramatic difference to us in some way.
This belief is the foundation of a democratic system. It is important. And when it is validated – when a new program has an impact – the importance of the election of a national figure is magnified.
It does make sense to invest time and intellectual curiosity in educating yourself so you can make the best decision when casting your ballot.
Once you’ve done so – once you’ve voted – and the results are in – you owe it to yourself to move on. And by move on I mean invest your time in other things – things that can ACTUALLY change the quality of your life.
“This Presidential election in the United States is the most important, most consequential election of our lifetime.” This tired statement is not only cliché; it is false.
The election is the most important election for the next four years.
As a nation, we’ve made mistakes in Presidential elections, and we’ve recovered. We’ve elected idiots, we’ve elected crooks, we’ve elected actors, and we’ve elected generals. We’ve elected idealists who couldn’t get anything done and we’ve elected pragmatists who, simply by holding our nation together, earned history’s highest praise.
One thing remains true regardless of who we elevate into the role of President of the United States – we are a resilient people. We bounce back from bad decisions, and hindsight makes the good decisions seem better than they were at the time.
Today my call to action for you is simple: Vote for yourself.
Invest your time, your energy, your money, in enriching your life and the lives of the people you care about. GO back to school. Learn a new skill. Enhance your knowledge. Invest some time improving your ability to grow your business. Invest your time helping your neighbor or teaching kids to read or picking up trash at the local park.
Turn off the television. Stop listening to the radio. Don’t invest any more of your precious time in people who make money by stoking irrational fear of electing someone with a minimal ability to impact the day-to-day happiness so important to the fabric of your life and your community.
Vote for yourself. Vote for YOUR ability to impact your life and the lives of everyone around you. You have the power to make your America great again – or more likely – make your America even greater than it already is.
Today, tomorrow and each day hereafter is your election day. Cast your vote. Make a difference.
We’re all counting on you.
This article was originally published on November 10, 2016, on my website DaveLorenzo.com – two days after the United States elected a reality television personality President.