Voting for Change is needed to "Build Back Better"

Today I listened to President Obama speaking at a community event on Systemic Racism in Philadelphia. His objective was to engage young Black voters to vote in the upcoming election. He metaphorically compared disenfranchisement of non-voters to those of us who exercise and don't see immediate results.  The gut trend may be to give up and stop exercising.  The better response would be to acknowledge that although you don't see immediate results you are developing a pattern for good health if you continue to exercise.

Voting is a right that we all need to exercise.  Although we may not see immediate results we must voice our opinions and speak up to further the conversation.  Change doesn't happen immediately.   Like exercise we often won't see immediate results but if you don't get involved or give up you won't see any results.  Change takes a long time and can only happen when it is pursued.  It requires cultivating a pattern of long term habits.  

We need the mindset of becoming involved and agreeing to make change.  If we model and get our peers to do the same we will gain further engagement.  We need to look forward to the long term and continue to exercise our rights to make change. As an advocate for change I have been drawn to the Biden/Harris campaign as I do believe they share a platform of humanity and decency that is needed desperately for our country.   

Coincidentally early this afternoon,  I had a long conversation with a new Facebook friend T. Michael Thomas.  He is the founder of a program called "The Peoples Academy".  This is the first program of its kind in the Boston area with the goal of engaging young and at risk youth to learn trade skills.   Students are taught to hold "hammers" and BUILD instead of holding "guns".  T. Michael had started this program in his home and has been working on it for over 15 years.  TPA recently broke ground to build a permanent school in Boston. This is a prime example of "Building Back Better".  He was recently featured on WCVB below and is working hard to make a difference in his community.  

Building programs such as TPA create opportunities that enhance all of our communities.  This is evidenced with the mission of the Mass Cultural Council, where I have been involved for over 10 years.  Communities grow and become safer havens when culture and innovation are brought to the local area.  This creates better economic opportunity for all of us at the grass roots level.  

Voting makes a difference.  Passion and perseverance make a difference.  We all benefit if we can work hard to vote for change and build back a better America.  We have the opportunity right now to make some changes.  Joe Biden's latest campaign ad illustrates this and the goal of becoming one America again.  We have to all exercise our voices and get everyone we know to vote.  Please join me in using your privilege to vote in the upcoming election.  We need each and every vote to count.  We all need to Build, Back, Better.  

Wendy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker.  She has also been serving as  the Chairperson for the Dover Cultural Council for her third term.  She greatest passion is working with and providing resources for her family, friends and clients to help make the world a better place.  

La Shana Tova and Staying Strong Together

Tonight marks the start of the Jewish New Year of 5781. During this holiday we focus on how to make ourselves better for the year to come.  It is a time to reflect on past mistakes and the lessons we learned to build a better future.  The theme of my Temple this year is Staying Strong Together (Chazak V' Amatz).  

It is a good time to reflect on our past years experience and how we can make the year 5781 a better year for our personal and professional life.  

Coincidentally, I was watching a segment on Good Morning America this morning with entrepreneur GaryVEE on Re-Invent U. He suggested we should all practice the term "GAP" which stands for Grateful, Accountability and Perspective.  This ties in directly with the reset ideology to start a new year cycle.  I did not know much about him but found this to be very inspiring and just subscribed to listen to his podcast.  

In Gary's framework I thought I would share my reflections.

Grateful:

I found the resilience and adaptability of my company, Coldwell Banker to have been a huge benefit to my life. The Company redesigned our platforms early on in the first months of stay at home to provide the highest level of virtual service to clients.  The training is unmatchable and there are new courses offered weekly to be in the forefront of the industry.

Accountability:

I have taken advantage of numerous webinars and technologies that I am also able to bring into my daily routine such as using platforms of Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook and InstagramLive, LinkedIn, Microsoft Teams and even FaceTime to interact and share a personal interface social distancing.  In addition, I was able to improve my knowledge base and recently to earn a Certification for AHWD - At Home With Diversity. 

Perspective:  I am now able to reach more clients and have much more flexibility to serve a wider and diverse range of buyers and sellers.  My virtual tool kit is continuously being updated and I am excited to face the opportunities to share these with clients this coming year. 

These themes also can be reflected in my personal life.  I am grateful to have a nice home in the suburbs with the most needed comforts. I am also thankful to have had time to work on a few projects around the house since I have had more at home time such as my family tree.  

Adaptability has allowed me to be able to social distance adjust most of my daily needs by planning ahead when going out to keep safely social distanced and masked while avoiding crowds. At times this can be challenging.  I have also redefined my errand and shopping experience to buy more online. I have adapted my fitness routine to online yoga and pilates classes and take long walks.  I have also taken advantage of working harder to connect with people I have been out of touch with.  

Perspective: Being home has given me more opportunity to reach out and reconnect with many family and friends I had lost contact with over the years. In many ways I have learned new skills and am living a stronger healthier lifestyle.    I believe I have actually become a better cook and make almost everything from scratch with much healthier ingredients including local farm fresh vegetables, a more vegan diet and baked from scratch sourdough breads.  

The year has been challenging and many of these adapted behaviors will be the new normal until this virus is fully mitigated.  There was an informative article in Medium yesterday about the continued obstacles we will be facing as we head towards colder weather.  Basically we still need to remain vigilant and continue to 1) wear masks 2) social distance and 3) make sure we have good air infiltration.  

As we head in to the New Year it is also important to think ahead.  As I watch the upcoming Presidential campaign I believe Joe Biden's plan to BUILD BACK BETTER aligns well with the Staying Strong Together.  His plan to unify and lead our country needs to start with each of us working toward a common goal.  This can happen if we  work together as a country to defeat the virus and share goals for the common good.  I hope I can optimistically look forward to celebrating his success in the next election and will work hard to help this campaign.  

I wish all of my readers a wonderful new beginning.  I truly look forward to Staying Strong Together as we head toward the New Year.  La Shana Tova.

Wendy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham. In her free time she enjoys connecting with friends and clients,  travel, cooking and walking her dog Delilah.  She loves coffee and is happy to have a socially distanced Zoom coffee anytime.