Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday.
A Supreme Court Justice, an advocate for women, for equality, for justice. The best kind.
I’m not going to let anger or sadness swallow me. So here’s my two cents: Let the anger burn pure and clean. Let the tears flow out. Let it burn clean and hot in you, but do not let the anger take you down. Do not let the emotions bury you.
Find a clarity and focus inside of this.
Trump—and others hiding behind him, and those across all parties that are serving the powers of corruption and power more than the people—want to make a mess of your emotions. They want you to be tired, exhausted, unfocused. The news media and the Trump teams are hoping you’ll crack and fall. They want you flustered.
Remember: your inability to act, to think, and to focus benefits someone.
The next six weeks will keep challenging and testing you. The United States election is in 45 days. There are still ways to fight and organize.
What you can do (it matters, act now)
The best thing you can do is donate time or money to organizations that are helping to do two critical things in the fight: first, reach people who are still undecided (this is an increasingly small group of people that’s hard to find), and second, register people who aren’t registered to vote to get them a chance to participate in the election. I learn a lot from Vote Save America if you’re curious to learn more.
1: Adopt A State.
If you want to work directly on one of the critical swing stages, sign up for your “state” over with Adopt A State.
2: Donate directly to Register 2 Vote.
You can also donate directly to Register 2 Vote, an organization that helps get people registered to vote.
You can also reach out directly to five people in swing states and make sure they are registered to vote. If they are registered, ask them their voting plan—when will they vote and how will they vote? Making a plan increases someone’s change of doing something.
3: Do not focus on fighting with people who are already set in their views.
“We agree to disagree,” is all you need to say. Don’t fight with your parents—it’s not worth the time and you probably don’t have the energy to give away right now. Don’t yell at the Trump voters. Leave them to the side and work, work, work, on the things you CAN do. Focus on the things you can control.
If you don’t normally donate money, do it this time.
If you don’t have time to spend, spend the money (if you can). Trump is going to dig into his pockets and spend whatever he can, and then the money pouring in on the Republican side will continue to make this a nasty fight. Money—whether we like it or not—talks.
If you don’t normally donate money, do it this time. Donate more than you think you should. If you were going to buy a Peloton bike this year, can you donate that much? What amount would make you uncomfortable? What effort will leave you feeling like you did everything you could when you wake up on November 4th?
Lastly, as a protection of you as a person—an emotion-full, psychologically strong, capable and necessary person—take actions to keep yourself well throughout this season. Your heart, brain, energy, and emotions are for you—don’t let them be hijacked. Stay strong, stay clear, stay focused, and let’s get back to work.
Pssst—Are you part of the SKP newsletter?
Join more than 15,000 other people who have signed up for my newsletter about personal development, psychology, and leadership.
What you'll get: thoughtful essays on how to make better decisions, ways to design your schedule, and ideas for rethinking the structure of work to be more human. I also write about the intersection of parenting and work.
If you're curious, seek new ideas, and appreciate some groundedness within the flurry of modern life, you will probably enjoy my newsletter. Don't see the form below? Head here to subscribe instead.