It’s an election year, and if you’ve heard any political debates or sound bites at all, you’ve probably noticed that discourse at the local, state and national levels is extremely negative. Mud is flying everywhere! It’s coming from the right and from the left. They’re hitting opposite sides, the middle and even their own side.

When I was accepted into the 2012 NLC fellows class, I expected to meet a lot of dynamic, like-minded individuals, learn about various aspects of leadership and community work through sessions ranging from public speaking to strategic marketing, and have access to a strong network of progressives within the San Diego community. That definitely happened.

All too often, we set lofty goals, knowing what we want at the end of the line, but we stash them away without a plan of action. Like finding mementos saved for scrapbooks, abandoned crafts and unframed photos in a long-untouched box, reflecting on dormant objectives is nostalgic yet regretful. Admittedly guilty of identifying but shrugging off goals in the past, I found New Leader's Council's advertised goal follow-through and peer-critique process very appealing. It's so easy to announce that I want to improve my Spanish or consider getting more involved in a local nonprofit. The tricky part is to keep to task and advance toward the mission...Right?