We Live in a Little Red Hen World

Published on March 6, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

We’re all living in a Little Red Hen world today.

Do you remember the story of the Little Red Hen? She was friends with a lazy dog, a sleepy cat, and a noisy yellow duck. She wanted to bake some bread, but none of her barnyard friends wanted to help plant, harvest, grind the wheat or even make the bread.

Many of us are somewhat like the Red Hen’s passive barnyard friends.
We’re all waiting for someone to save us from whatever it is that we think is difficult, unjust or just downright frightening. And we wait and talk and wait and talk. And we do more talking than anything else.

The reality is this: We don’t need anyone to save us. We have the ability to save ourselves—by doing something instead of talking. What you do can be big or small—it’s your choice. You could run for office or volunteer—just take some constructive action.

I’m weary of political rhetoric and labels—liberal, conservative, traditional values, freedoms–words so often repeated that we employ them out of habit. The words I want to hear are cooperation, problem solving, creativity, compassion, and tolerance.

We can’t expect leaders to do everything for us, but they should inspire us to take positive personal action. We can blame our leaders, but the truth is, we must share some of the blame as well.

I hope you’ll pardon me for ending this letter so quickly, but I have something to do.

My Vision for Office and What’s Missing Today

Published on February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

I’ve always known INNATELY why I’m running for the Texas House of Representatives, but to articulate this feeling to others has been difficult. Through diligent daily introspection, I’ve finally been able to articulate my mission in running for public office.

Something is missing in government today.

I think back on my childhood and my memories as a young adult and those individuals who literally “carved out” my goals and dreams.
There was Lyndon Johnson, Bobby Kennedy, Mother Teresa and Gandhi–Mr. Gandhi is my ultimate hero. Later, I deeply admired Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan and lastly, Benazir Bhutto who gave her life in her attempt to stabilize her beloved Pakistan.
All of these heroes made political deals…probably better than anyone, but they were different from other “deal makers” of today in that they were guided by a “northstar mentality”.

Before we had GPS and before compasses—all travelers used the north star as their guide on their journeys—because the north star was fixed, never moved–you could always count on the north star. 

All of my heroes were guided by nobility, honor and service. They possessed a strong sense of ethics and a genuine interest in people.
That’s what missing in government today—the lack of a northern star.

Confucius, who lived five hundred years before Christ, understood the significance of the northstar and it’s metaphor to leadership.
“He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place
and all the stars turn towards it.”
In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar—Caesar remarks: “I am as constant as the northern star whose true fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament.”

Why is it that I believe we have no leaders who are guided by the metaphor of the northstar?
There’s plenty of evidence that proves that.

If we examine statistics about Texas and its ratings, both high and low, we see our true priorities.

Our low numbers say this:
We’re 49/50 in dropouts.
We’re 44/50 in educational funding.
We’re 48/50 in health and human services.
We have one of the highest rates of citizens without health insurance (and of those so called “lazy uninsured Texans” 76% hold down one or more jobs).

Texas has some high numbers though:
Texas is one of the worst polluters in the U.S.
Texas is #1 in the nation for outsourcing state functions to private companies.
Texas has the highest homeowner’s insurance rates in the nation.

The things that really matter, making sure our children have opportunities, taking care of our seniors, and being good stewards of the environment–we’re at the bottom.
The things that are frivolous and depict greediness–we are at the top.
Is this the kind of state that we want to be?

We keep hearing the political catch phrase “traditional values” over and over and over. But when I look at Texas’ statistics–are these the values that we call traditional? I don’t think it is.
We keep other down educationally. We abandon the helpless—children, elderly, and animals.
There is a difference between having traditional values and having a northern star.
Having a northern star is not having traditional values; it’s having your words match your actions.
What does this say about our state? It says we have no northstar.

I began to reflect on my candidate mission—what’s MY northern star? If I want to lead, what’s my northern star?
Education is the foundation for everything.
When I look back on my life–what if I hadn’t experienced the richness of education? I would have missed the words of Baudelier, the many inspirational books that held those poignantly beautiful universal truths, the poetry of Tagore and Rumi, the plays of O’Neill and Tennessee Wiliams, the archetypal heroes of Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, who received “the call” to heroism, left the comforts of their home on a pilgrimage that transformed them and upon their return to home these quintessential heroes were enabled to do great things for the people of their homeland.

Inspiration was the thing I acquired from education. Education has been my muse for life.

These are the things I want for this generation and for future generations.
Without these things, we will create a whole generation of “underclass”–individuals who don’t understand the underlying universal truths of Shakespeare or even the amusing truths of Jack Keroac.
Without these things, how we can even understand ourselves?? And our behavior? or define our dreams?
Without education, a whole generation will be devoid of opportunity and most importantly, inspiration.

We all need to be inspired again. One of my favorite words in the English language is the word “inspiration”.
I studied Latin for eight years and it’s assisted me in understanding language, the true semantics of words and their original meanings and the evolution of words as we understand them today—and that’s why I love the word “inspiration”. That word…”inspiration” comes from Latin—”inspirare”…which literally means to put breath into something. When you breathe into something it means you give LIFE . So when we inspire –we’re giving life to something–whether it’s a people or an idea.

We have to have that noble northstar that heroes of the past used as their guide.
Good leaders get things done for people. Great leaders inspire people to do things for themselves and others.
Great leaders have a personal northern star—it’s unwavering, it’s constant and it shows us the way.

I hope that I’ll be your leader with the noble northern star.

Be Thankful for Obstacles!

Published on February 23, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

Like most everyone else, I’ve experienced some obstacles in my life. But I am extremely grateful for every single obstacle I’ve faced because it’s helped me to be more determined, to have more confidence, to learn about myself and to be more empathetic with others who struggle.

We should all be grateful for adversity in our lives because it helps us discover talents we didn’t know we possessed. So in that sense, the challenge is turned into a blessing. Thousands of year ago, Homer, the ancient Greek philosopher, gifted us with a thought that remains true even today: “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.” Horace 65-68 B.C.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Colorado then you’ve seen those pristine clear mountain streams. The rocks in those streams are some of the world’s most beautiful stones. They tumbled down the mountainside to fall into the water by unseen forces—rain, snow, and earth’s imperceptible tremors. Those rocks that fell into the water by accident are each unique—some small, some large, different shapes and beautiful colors. All of the myriad of shapes and sizes and colors were created by the force of the water that flowed over time—changing the stone’s appearance little by little. Some of the rocks that rolled down didn’t make it into the water. They’re gray and ugly and have no distinguishable beauty and they sit alone unchanged and stagnant.

We’re just like those river stones. Our shapes, sizes and colors have been changed by the waters of life’s struggles and those struggles have made us more colorful and beautiful—unlike the ugly gray stones that were left unaffected by the stream.

What does this have to do with my District 84 campaign?

We have a lot of challenges in Texas to overcome in 2011, but we need to “reframe” the way we view those challenges. We need to think of our troubles as an opportunity to get “things” RIGHT. If we didn’t have these challenges, we might have never even thought about changing things. This quandary we’re in is an opening for fortuitous opportunity!!

We have a chance to reinvent our educational opportunities in Texas. We have an opening for realigning the way we do government. We have an opportunity to trust each other again!! We have an opportunity to send a positive message to Washington—LOOK HERE Y’ALL–this is the way Texas does things—watch us WORK–in times of trouble, we unite and work together—we don’t tear each other apart. Texas people have always been the strongest of people—fiercely independent pioneers who overcame every negative predicament and came back more resolute and “refueled” than before.

I’m not so naïve to think it will be easy—the first task is going to be to set priorities and then make sure that everyone is on board with those priorities. Then we need to align our actions with those priorities. It can’t be a band-aid and it can’t be a kneejerk response—it has to be ever so thoughtful, keeping in mind the future consequences of the changes we make. Just like a doctor with his/her patient, we need to treat the disease and not the symptoms.

Be thankful for our challenges in 2011—this is our opportunity to become a better state! And I hope to be a part of moving forward with those opportunities for all of us! My excitement grows everyday with every person I talk to, every new friend I make and every organization I speak to. I hope you catch my excitement and let me be your public servant in the Texas House

People Stories

Published on February 20, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

The activity that touches me in a special way in my campaign is talking to people.

You have to understand that I am a “people junkie”. I love listening to people’s stories. I discovered this when I was a teacher. One particular year when I was a teacher at O.L. Slaton I was given a one period assignment as the ISS (In-School-Suspension) monitor. For some this would be “horror” assignment, but I loved it. It was my favorite time of the day. I would talk to students about why they had been “sentenced” to ISS, talk with them about their grades and how they could improve. That’s what started my journey as a counselor and a true people lover.

During my campaign I have been priviliged to listen to people’s stories–their needs, their trials, and why they need a representative who REALLY wants to help.

Today was one of those days that made me truly realize why I’m running for this office. While phoning, I talked to a woman with a handicapped child who keeps the woman “housebound” in order to care for her. We talked about IDEA and special education and her needs as a parent of a special needs child. I talked to a man who has terminal cancer and an extremely optimistic attitude.

At the Pancake Festival, I met Miss Caprock 2010, Patrea Ferrell, a beautiful poised young lady who is a student at SPC. I was also priviliged to meet her little sister who is in elementary school and especially Patrea’s mother–a beautiful and warm woman. We talked about college tuition and how much more it might increase by the time Patrea’s little sister would attend college. Mrs. Ferrell was worried about how she would manage that.

I talked to many of the custodians who were working at the Civic Center, diligently bussing tables, bagging trash, and cleaning up. One man was working for a temporary help business because he had been laid off two years ago. Another was eager to go home to his children and yet another, was leaving to help take care of her elderly mother.

These are the people I want to represent as the District 84 Representative. They’re working hard to make ends meet, they have challenges in their life and they need someone who cares and who will speak for them.

I can’t wait to help these people. They are why I’m running.

The Best Predictor of Future Behavior is Past Behavior

Published on February 17, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

We hear this “psychobabble” phrase often, but it does have merit.

It doesn’t matter if you’re considering someone for a company position or as a friend. If you examine how they’ve conducted business in the past or the causes to which they’ve committed themselves, you’ll have an idea of what kind of employee or friend they will be in the future.

What in the world does this have to do with running for office? In my opinion–everything!

Take a look at the tab “About Carol” on this website and see that I have made significant accomplishments in every position I’ve had in my career history. I am a producer of results and I am very proud of that.

I hope everyone has had the chance to view the District 84 Candidate Forum that was sponsored by the Lubbock League of Women Voters and Channel 11: http://tinyurl.com/yhajs2o
You will see from this forum that I am a person who prepares. You will see I am a person who is a communicator. I know about education. I know about business–way beyond the accounting sheets. I know about what motivates people. I know how to bring people together to get the best results.

What’s in it for me? Nothing. I am merely continuing my pattern of past behavior–and that is to make my community a better place and to help others to have a better life. We all need to stop asking the question “What’s in it for me?”. We need to start asking what we can do TOGETHER just because it’s the RIGHT thing to do.

We need to have public servants who are going to do the right thing by their constituents and put people first. We need to have public servants who will forget about party labels and political “catch phrases”, do their homework, ask for their constituents’ opinions and stand by them.

Government is about people–meeting their needs and helping to make their community better.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior  and my past speaks for itself.

Determination is the Most Powerful Word in the English Language

Published on February 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

The older we get, the more time seems to get away from us.

If you remember when you were young, time went so slowly. Summers were forever, getting to Christmas was such an unbearably long time and it seemed as if you would never grow up. We always wanted to be older than we were and sometimes we even pretended to be older.

Now, time and our lives seem to whiz by at nano-speed. We look up dreading Mondays and then wonder where the week went when Friday rolls around. We reach our birthday and wonder what we did with that year of our life that just passed and is behind us.

Are you just going to let those years roll by and then live with a litany of regrets? Are you going to be sitting in a rocking chair thinking about all the things you could have done and wonder why you didn’t?

Think about this: Who are the people that you’ve admired in your life? It might be an ordinary person that you know–someone in your neighborhood or an acquaintance at church. It might be someone famous like Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandala–those historical giants that have left a great legacy with their work and efforts. Each and every one of those individuals was just like you AT SOME POINT. They were young and had big dreams of something, a passion, that they wanted to accomplish. They each could have allowed jobs, family, health, aging parents, setbacks, or money problems to derail the creation and development of their vision. But, they didn’t.

We all have issues that are gauntlets that slow us down, but we shouldn’t let those hurdles short-circuit our hopes and dreams. And they won’t, but only if we erect a spirit of determination without ourselves.

What makes them different from you? They had the DETERMINATION to accomplish something that was so important and so overriding to all their personal life issues that they persisted and as a result, were successful.
Determination is the most powerful word in the English language if we understand its real meaning: de (turn away from), termination(the end)

Each one of us is the same as these famous people. We all have the potential to be great. We all have the qualities deep within us to accomplish our most cherished dreams.

All it takes is the GAS of determination to propel us to that treasured destination.
Turn away from the end today, be determined!

How Do We Accomplish Our Goals?

Published on February 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

For as long I can remember I have utilized William Glasser’s Choice Theory not only in my career counseling practice but, in my personal life as well.
It’s a simple theory that leads to more happiness, greater accomplishments and a more productive existence.

It involves answering three questions:
1. What do you want?
2. What are you doing to get what you want?
3. Is it working?
If the answer is “no” to #3, then:
1. change what you’re doing OR
2. change what you want.

The key is this: Changing what we do is the key to changing how we feel and to getting what we want.

This philosophy can be aptly applied to the business of being your Representative to the Texas House.

The answer to question #1 is KEY to establishing good governance in Austin.

Before we can accomplish anything, we, as a people, must decide what we want.

In counseling, this is always the question that is the hardest to answer. In life, this is the most difficult question, and certainly as citizens, the answers are many and varied. But before we move to questions #2 and #3 we have to answer the question “What do we want?”

Knowing what you want involves having a vision. In that vision, you must be able to see clearly, in great detail, the finished product that is your ideal. You must visualize its every element—its color, its taste, its smell, who’s present in that vision and what happens in that vision. We must have a shared vision before we act.

I want to focus on the present. I don’t want to revisit the past, point fingers in blame, or criticize others in their past attempts to serve their constituents. This is totally unproductive and prevents us from moving forward.

Let’s ask ourselves what do we, as West Texas, want our area to be?
Let’s create a vision.
Let’s visualize every element of that vision and then let’s work together to make it happen.
As your representative, it should NOT be my vision, but our collective vision.
I will merely be the one to work for YOUR VISION in Austin.

Thoughts on Being a Public Servant

Published on February 6, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

I’ve said so many times during my campaign that I’m not a politician—and I sincerely mean that!

I try to keep this quote from Reed Markham in my thoughts each day: “A good leader inspires other men and women with confidence. A great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves.”

The power in being a great leader is in “tossing the ball to others” and motivating them to “run with it”. A great leader inspires others. There is tremendous power in ideas and encouragement.

This is the kind of public servant I want to be—not a politician.

So many believe that the power of a representative is in creating legislation and appropriating funds and while that is a part of a legislator’s job, a good public servant should do more than that. A public servant should use the influence of his/her office to solve problems for people on an individual basis. A public servant should utilize the legislative network to connect others to resources that will enhance their community and enrich lives.

A public servant should diligently strive to create unity and cooperation between the political parties and different groups. I contemplate this each morning and the steps I can take each day to make this a reality. We should speak despairingly of no one, but instead concentrate on understanding his/her point of view and relating how it might be incorporated into our own.

I am so tired of listening to the anger and hatred of cable television and talk radio. These negative emotions do nothing but waste our energy that should be directed toward positive efforts. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Tea Baggers, Independents—we all have great ideas! How much more could be accomplished if we worked together in a spirit of cooperation and unity!

The key to establishing a community of diverse groups working in harmony is to NOT be anonymous. It is so easy to fear those you don’t know. And where there is fear, hate is not far behind. That’s why the haters continue to hate. If you get to know someone, as an individual, it is impossible to fear and hate them.

In a rally with a group of young people, a beautiful young lady remarked to me, “You give me hope that things can be better.” I was so inspired by this statement and I like to think about it each day. It’s the fuel that makes me want to work even harder to pass along a positive message to each person that I meet in this campaign.

January 4th, when I announced my campaign before old friends, new friends and the media, I said I was excited and my excitement grows exponentially each day. I hope that the citizens of West Texas catch my excitement and pass it on to their friends, relatives and coworkers.

I sincerely wish to represent the wonderful, warm and welcoming people of West Texas as their public servant in Austin. My daily strivings are to make that wish a reality.

Why I Know That I Have Big Shoes To Fill

Published on February 4, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

I am the product of an amazing, but humble history.

My paternal grandfather, W.T. Sessums had one of the first dairy farms in this area. W.T. and Grace Jane Yates and their ten children (which included two sets of twins) lived in a house on the rim of the canyon on East Broadway across from the present day Mackenzie Park. My father, Ray, used to deliver milk on horseback during the darkest days of the Depression—a ten year old boy doing his best to help in the family business. I remember him telling me stories of the circus that erected their tents across the road from their house and how he would help them “set up” in order to get a free ticket to the circus. The family would often travel to Hillsboro to help relatives harvest cotton crops in the fall.

My mother, Eva was born in Seymour, Texas—one of seven siblings. Her father, G.C. Clark was a grocer turned farmer in Baylor County. They were poor, but never went hungry because of their farm. Eva knew hardship early–her mother, Johnnie, died of typhoid fever from a contaminated cistern when my mother was only six years old.

When Ray and Eva married at only seventeen, neither had a high school diploma and they worked very hard to make a home for their daughters, Shirley and Carol. As a young man, my father worked at the Lubbock Cattle Auction that was on Ave. G. He did anything he was told to do from leading livestock into the bidding arena to scooping up their “bovine indiscretions”. I remember my mother constantly standing at the ironing board in the kitchen, starching those khakis that my dad wore to work everyday. Later, my mother chose to supplement the family income by waiting tables at Harold’s Café—a legendary Mom and Pop café owned by her friends, Harold and Evelyn McMillan. I can’t tell you how many times my school lunch money came out of her tip jar.

Eventually, both of my parents excelled in their careers—my dad becoming a self-employed cattle buyer and my mother becoming a buyer for W.D. Wilkins. They did it by taking one day at a time with sheer determination, never giving up and never being ashamed of who they were or where they came from.

My inheritance from my family didn’t come in the form of money. It was something of much greater value.

From my roots, I inherited an indomitable determination and the courage to hold my head up high and be proud of who I am, no matter my circumstances or human failings.

My motives in running for District 84, Texas House of Representative are pure and simple—I merely want to use my time and talents to help my hometown and most of all, the wonderfully warm and kind people of West Texas.

Most of all, I fervently hope that my bid for public service is one that is a fitting tribute to the legacy of my brave grandparents and my parents, Ray and Eva Sessums.

Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what’s been taught them. — Jonas Salk

Welcome to Carol Morgan for Texas!

Published on January 27, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

Thank you for visiting my website! It’s my hope that this amazing medium will let you get to know me, who I am, what I stand for and what I want to accomplish for YOU. Please let me get to know YOU, by leaving a comment or question.