What Really Matters: Putting Political Campaigns in Perspective
My wife and I took our 2-year-old daughter Sophie to the Cleveland Zoo today, and we had a blast; it’s so much fun watching her learn and grow and discover new things. That’s a picture of her on the left, fast asleep in her car seat on the way home.
Even though political campaigns and local election strategy are a big part of my life, days like this make me appreciate what really matters in life: family, friends, relationships. When you’re heavily invested in a political campaign–especially if you’re the candidate–it can sometimes seem that winning is the most important thing in the world. It isn’t, and you should never lose sight of that.
Regardless of whether you win or lose your local election, politics will never be anything more to your life than a professional commitment. While your political campaign might seem monumentally important during election season, you should never forget who is going to be there for your when the campaigning is over, win or lose: your family.
The elation of victory and the sting of defeat eventually fade, regardless of how important your campaign seemed to be at the time. The importance of family and friends, though, never fades. Unpredictable circumstances, fickle voters, term limits; all add up to uncertainty for elected officials, and there will come a time when you won’t have another political campaign to look forward to. When politics abandons you, your family and friends will still be there.
Always keep your political campaign in perspective, and never forget what really matters in your life. If winning an election is the most important thing in the world to you, then you probably shouldn’t be running for office in the first place.
Related Political Campaign & Local Election Strategies:
- In Political Campaigns, Focus on What Matters and Ignore the Rest
- Practicing What you Preach in Political Campaigns
- Teaching Kids to Love Voting, Political Campaigns & Elections
- 5 Ways to Avoid Stress & Stay Healthy in Political Campaigns
- Your Family: An Important Part of Planning a Political Campaign