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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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What's On Your List? The Importance of Goal-Setting

Some people work really well from lists. I am one of them. Generally, I start my days early because it affords me uninterrupted planning time. In our daily lives, there are many mundane yet necessary tasks that must be accomplished just to keep life moving. It is easy to get caught up in chores, errands, and work. These tasks often dominate one's "to-do" list and they take the attention off the big picture. Days and weeks can go by without any significant progress being made on weight-loss, increasing savings, paying off debt, home improvement, continuing education and more.

One of the most important things that you can do for yourself is to set goals. Doing so will give you some direction in life. Goals should be written down, precise, and include measurable steps to achieve them. The first step in goal-setting is to decide what you want to do. Inaction often results from the failure to first make a decision. Making changes and improvements to your life requires some introspection and honest self-talk. You have to "pump the brakes" a bit and take some time to consider the direction that you want your life to take. It requires work.

Have you ever taken a trip that has no destination? If your goal is to one day take a dream vacation, then you'll be dreaming about it until you pick the place. Once you've done that, it is now possible to calculate all of the costs associated with the trip. You can write a detailed budget and determine what your plan will be to fund the trip. Who will travel with you? When do I want to go? How long will I stay? What will I do once I get there? Do I need a passport? Once all of these questions are answered, it becomes a matter of prioritizing and setting deadlines for execution. This requires making a commitment to yourself to get it done. The sooner you begin this process and the more detailed your plan, the better your chances of realizing that dream.

Take a little time out of your schedule today and decide what single change you could make that would improve your life and go to work. You'll be glad that you did!

Be good to yourself! More next time...