We all have the power to cast our votes. Very important votes happen every day, not at a polling place in November. Yours is the power of the virtual vote, the use of your personal intellectual capital.
Our intellectual capital is the sum of our life experience, regardless of our education or occupation. The decisions we make about what we read, the websites we visit, the links we click, the media we utilize, who we listen to, who we turn off, and how much we share of ourselves, is all part of how we vote each day. Sometimes we make conscious choices on how to use our intellectual capital but often it is unconscious.
Particularly in midterm elections voter turnout is quite low. “Only 36.4% of eligible voters voted in this year’s [2014] midterm elections, down from 40.9% who voted in 2010, according to preliminary analysis by Michael McDonald at the University of Florida. The last time voter turnout was that low was 1942, when only 33.9% of voters cast ballots, according to the United States Elections Project.” according to TIME magazine. Yet in a Pew Center poll for the same election, only 20% of those who did not vote (who were registered), cited “did not care” or “did not like the candidates.” Most people stated they were too busy to vote.
Why has voter turnout has been so low? Do we feel our real power lies in the choices we make each day? If we take an active approach, we consciously express our preferences. By actively listening, thoughtfully expressing ourselves, and consciously examining how we interact with the wave of information which confronts us each day, we have impact. Will this influence our decision to show up at the ballot box?
How do you manage, use and share your intellectual capital? Your choices have powerful outcomes for business, communities, families and individuals. Starting this November, cast your vote, literally and virtually.
Take stock of who you are. What do you believe in, know, and think? Remain consciously aware and open to new information, thoughts and ideas.
Your choices, decisions and actions have power. We are all more powerful than we imagine and rarely see the long term impact of how we use our power.
Every break through, and advancement is the result of sharing of intellectual capital of many individuals over very long periods of time. Today’s innovations could not exist without the multitude of discoveries in the past.
Change & Innovation: Are You a Virtual Voter?… ©Change Create Transform
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