If you’re the type of person who thinks the people who oppose your political viewpoints are evil and secretly hate America, this blog is probably not for you. But if you are someone who is distressed by the divisions in our country, remember: regardless of where you stand politically, the enemy isn’t conservatism or liberalism – it’s extremism. Nobody thinks of themselves as an extremist, but a lot of people think of themselves as loyalists, and in the end, they are pretty much the same thing.
The majority of America is pretty moderate. Most Americans favor freedom over uniformity and are pretty liberal in terms of social policy. However, the majority of Americans have more conservative views when it comes to business policies and free enterprise. Americans reject socialism as a concept but believe everyone should have access to food, housing, education, and healthcare. Most of us are not that far apart.
Of course, that’s not what we see in the media. All we see are the extremes on both sides. The media learned a while back that bad news outsells good news and that viewership is higher for news programs that get us angry and all worked up. If politics makes you feel angry, keep this in mind: The wealthiest and most powerful Americans tend to be politically independent often make political donations to candidates from BOTH parties. Hmmm, why do you think that is? I’ll tell you why. Because they care about themselves more than they do any candidate or political party – and they understand how the game is played.
My point isn’t that politics don’t matter and there aren’t things worth fighting for. Politics matter plenty, but being a political loyalist if you’re not a politician yourself is pretty lame. Even loyalist politicians are known in Washington DC as “ideologues”, and are often dismissed as fanatics by the real power players. Unfortunately, the super-skill that the many successful journalists and politicians share is their ability to turn their followers from thinking constituents into non-thinking fanatics…Don’t be a non-thinking fanatic! If you detest politicians who divide us, that’s a good start. A well-informed, independent-thinking electorate is the last thing most politicians want. Extremism, in all forms, is the enemy.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
Selling during a downturn required a more strategic approach, but the opportunities for growth and expansion are available to the savviest of companies. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve read about.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve written about this in other iterations. I’ve talked about finding your rhythm, and the importance of letting things come to you, not forcing things, and then riding the momentum when you have the wind at your back. The point of it all is that success is not linear. Progress doesn’t follow a straight line. For most people, the journey is long and winding. It looks more like a stairway or a hockey stick.