Good news! We’ve reached that time of year when new year’s resolutions are making their way towards being discarded as fast as a fourth child’s artwork sails into the recycling bin. Even if you already gave up on your new year’s resolutions weeks ago (dry January fail anyone?), you still have reason to keep reading.

Why? Well, hidden within every failure is an opportunity to laugh at ourselves and recommit to creating the success we’re striving for.

And couldn’t we all use some laughter right about now? The correct answer is yes.

Through interviewing people about their failed relationships, I’ve learned achieving success (regardless of whether we’re talking resolutions or relationships) has is a lot more to do with our ability to recommit to the process that moves us towards success than it is about our ability to move immediately from point A to point B without any stops in between. Let’s laugh together as this non-athlete attempts to use a sports metaphor to further illustrate my meaning, okay?

In basketball, it seems to me being able to dribble the ball has a lot more to do with whether we end up scoring a point than if we can stand at one end of the court and throw the ball to the other to sink the basket. Most people can’t make a basket from half-court, let alone full-court (can anybody do that? I don’t follow sports).

However, I believe it’s safe to say most people can dribble a basketball well enough to move towards the basket and eventually get close enough to shoot the ball and score the point. Success is the point, and the point is success. Get it? Was that too awful? I hope not.

Anyway, edging away from my possibly inaccurate use of a sports-related metaphor, have you heard the saying, “If at first, you don’t succeed you’re running about average”?

As true as I know this statement to be, I still hate it. Like you, I want to succeed the first time, and when I don’t, I’m not above putting on a pouty face, throwing a pity party, or tossing in the towel altogether. Having to do something repeatedly before we get the results we want sucks!

But here’s an idea.

What if this time we laughed at our failure to maintain our new year’s resolution(s), and instead of giving up, we gamely recommitted to trying again? What if we laughed at ourselves repeatedly and reached our goals by the end of the year or (even before), not by doing anything impressive, but through an unlikely combination of wry humor and raw determination?

Wouldn’t that be fun and amazing and completely worth the effort to keep going, even when the work feels impossible and it looks like we’re not getting any closer to scoring at all, but simply dribbling the big dumb metaphorical ball over and over again?

I’d like to think it would be, or we wouldn’t have taken the time to make those resolutions in the first place, right? So how about it, are you up for some laughter as we give those resolutions another try?

Let’s get to it!

Danielle Daily is an Author, TEDx speaker, and Host of The Suddenly Single Show podcast where she brings hope to the heartbroken every week through inspiring interviews released each Monday morning. Find The Suddenly Single Show wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts or TheSuddenlySingleShow.com.

Hamilton. Have you seen it yet?

I may be a little late to the party, but since it was far too hot to be outdoors this past weekend, I sat still long enough to watch it. I don’t know about you, but I could not help but notice the parallels between the historical significance of what Hamilton and the Founding Fathers were living through, and the historical significance of what you and I are living through, right this very moment.

History has its eyes on you, anyone?

Most of humanity will neither witness a global pandemic nor social justice reform, let alone concurrence of both. You and I, my friend, are contributors and witnesses to a historic moment that will swiftly become part of the record of both U.S. and world history.

Just as the decisions and actions of Hamilton et al. are significant because of how they shaped the U.S., the decisions we make and the actions we take in the present are shaping the future for generations of both Americans and global citizens.

Sooner than seems possible, a new generation will find themselves wondering, what was it like to be quarantined? How did social-distancing work? What was the hoopla over wearing masks all about? What made people protest in the streets and tear down statues? How many people died?

I hope the next generation will also ask us the most important question of all: What changed? I wonder, will our collective history of decisions and actions stir feelings of admiration and pride or disappointment, disgust, and anger when viewed through the sharp eyes of history rather than the fingerprint smeared screen of current events?

As Steve Jobs famously stated: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” What connections and mistakes will we see in retrospect?

As individuals and as a society, we will make mistakes along the way. Historic changes don’t happen every day, and that’s why they feel both urgent and impossibly complicated. If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed by trying to do your part and make it all work, remember Hamilton and Maria Reynolds.

Yeah, Hamilton didn’t handle the pressure of having history’s eyes on him without making some mistakes either. I hope that we write a true and proud history of courage under fire; cooperating to protect the vulnerable, dismantling systems that caused harm to our fellow human beings (specifically black human beings), and ultimately our country’s ideals of liberty and justice for all prevailed.

When you imagine your life writ large, à la Hamilton, would you feel proud of the part you played? If not, why not start doing things differently? After all, there’s no time like the present to make history.

Danielle Daily is an Author, TEDx speaker, and Host of The Suddenly Single Show podcast where she brings hope to the heartbroken via inspiring interviews released each Monday morning.

Find The Suddenly Single Show wherever you like to binge your favorite podcasts or at thesuddenlysingleshow.com.

Independent news website grows to 110,000 monthly users, 3 million page views annually

As Potomac Local News turned 10 years old on June 10, 2020, the independent local news website has achieved multiple milestones.

Potomac Local News welcomed more than 70 new paid subscribers during June, bringing the total number of paid subscribers to nearly 600. June’s new subscription count represents the highest number of new subscribers to join the Potomac Local News community since the launch of our subscription program in January 2018.

The majority of the new subscribers chose the $65 annual plan over a $6 monthly plan, which provides subscribers with a savings of $13 annually. While everyone is permitted three free views per month on PotomacLocalNews.com, paid subscribers enjoy 100% access to content on the website.

Over the past three months, Potomac Local News has seen an increase in the number of paid subscribers in key neighborhoods in our coverage area, including Woodbridge, Manassas, Stafford, Dumfries, and Fredericksburg.

This growth is a clear indicator of a healthy, growing community of people who want trusted reporting, delivered to them in an easy-to-read format. We are humbled by the fact people are willing to pay to support local news in our community.

Potomac Local News remains committed to providing branding services to local businesses and non-profit organizations by helping them capture a coveted piece of the local market share. Advertisements on the site continue to be shown to both casual readers and paid subscribers.

To date, Potomac Local News has helped more than 400 local businesses develop branding plans that work to educate our community on the helpful products and services they offer.

Our key strategic branding partners include:

• The Fauquier Bank
• Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
• Mary Washington Healthcare
• Chick-fil-A Bristow
• JTC, Inc.

Not only has Potomac Local News seen an increase in subscribers, but the company has seen a surge in its number of email newsletter subscribers. Between April 1 and today, our company added more than 8,200 opt-in subscribers to our free email newsletter, bringing the total distribution to more than 11,700 subscribers.

The newsletter is a free product distributed each weekday morning, containing links to the most recent news and information posted to PotomacLocalNews.com. The newsletter also serves a leading success driver for our strategic branding partners, as Potomac Local News readers continually respond to advertisements seen inside of the newsletter.

In the coming months, be on the lookout for more targeted email newsletters that deliver timely community information on topics such as business, restaurants, recreation, healthcare, and neighborhood news.

The overall audience reach for Potomac Local News continues to show impressive growth.

• Pageviews  per month: 237,000, up from 130,000 a year ago
• Pageviews Annual 2.9 million, up from 1.6 million a year ago
• Users per month: 109,000… up from 67,000 a year ago

The increases come as Potomac Local News invested $5,000 in an improved website that allows for more content discovery, as well as new options for users to log in to post community events, and job postings.

I founded Potomac Local News in June 2010 to serve the community where I grew up, and to provide a much-needed local news resource, two years before the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger (known in 2010 as News & Messenger) closed for business. Those newspapers — where I worked in both the newsroom and advertising department before its closure — served our communities for a combined 157 years.

We work hard every day to earn your trust, and your business, so that Potomac Local News may continue to provide the local news and information that is important to you and your family.

Lately, we’ve all faced the uncomfortable.

From big uncomfortable things like mounting death tolls and violence to small uncomfortable things like figuring out the right way to wear a mask at the grocery store. Now we’re faced with talking about race and it’s really, really uncomfortable.

Part of my job is to have emotional conversations with people about heartbreak, so I’ve become adept at facing the uncomfortable when it comes to grief and loss.

However, I recently had the opportunity to face the uncomfortable in a fresh way by being part of a live broadcast on race. I learned a lot from that experience, and if you’re looking to confront your own discomfort with talking about race, here are some ways to get started.

First, lean in. There will always be uncomfortable or taboo topics but the floor is now open for talking about race like never before.

Take advantage of it. Be open about what you think you know or what you learned growing up and ask questions so you can grow.

For some, leaning into the conversation about race looks like making signs and protesting, for others it looks like reading books on the subject of race.

If you’re like me, it could look like broadcasting uncomfortable conversations with black friends so others can see how to start a conversation like that and reach new understandings. Whatever your way, leaning in by playing an active and ongoing role in the conversation about race makes you an important part of a historic shift and I know someday you’ll look back and feel proud to have been a part of it.

Second, say yes to vulnerability.

For example, if talking about race is new to you like it is for me, be open about that. Many of us were taught it was wrong to mention race. For me, it feels intensely uncomfortable to call someone black or white.

During the broadcast, I jokingly suggested I would refer to myself as a nude woman because it feels weird to call myself a white woman. How uncomfortable must you have to be before you’d consider calling yourself a color synonymous with naked over calling yourself white? Pretty uncomfortable.

Thankfully, my jest turned out to be a marvelous way for all of us on the broadcast to laugh together and feel more at ease talking about something that had us each feeling vulnerable.

Finally, authenticity is key. Something that really struck home for me was how much authenticity counts here. Before I took part in this conversation about race, I was so worried about saying the wrong thing and causing hurt in an already raw spot I wasn’t saying much at all.

I’m a helper by nature and the idea that my attempts at conversation might come across as patronizing or cause someone pain was scary. During the broadcast, my friend and host Erica, a black woman, encouraged me to follow my heart. Even if I do or say something wrong, acting from that authentic place will allow my sincerity to outshine my gaffe and open the door for further understanding and connection.

When it comes to jumping into the conversation about race, go with your gut on what feels right. Whatever you decide, lean in, practice vulnerability, and remember authenticity matters more than knowing the right thing to say.

Have you already been taking part in the conversation about race? We’d love to hear what you’ve learned.

Danielle Daily is an Author, TEDx speaker, and Host of The Suddenly Single Show podcast where she brings hope to the heartbroken via inspiring interviews released each Monday morning. Find The Suddenly Single Show wherever you like to binge your favorite podcasts or at TheSuddenlySingleShow.com.

Potomac Local News: Today we’re going to talk about hiring your children. This is something that business owners can take advantage of, and, “hiring” is not such a dirty word when it comes to your children, correct?

You can actually hire your kids and set them up for success in the future. What is this all about?

Chris Peden: Well, first of all, people see that and they say, “wow, you know, I can pay them and deduct them for doing chores.”

Well, no, actually, they work they do has to do with your business. So if you have a payroll set up with a payroll company, you can actually put them on payroll and have to do taxes.

• As long as the work related to your business, has a business purpose, and they’re capable of actually doing those tasks, you pay them like you regularly would or you’d make a payment to, say, a Roth I.R.A., or to an educational fund to fund your college education or the retirement fund.

What can my child do for my business? 

Potomac Local News: I imagine that this type of thing would work for for for certain businesses, like office locations, and home-based businesses. Can you give us an example of some of the tasks that a business owner may have their child do?

Chris Peden: Yes. Well, I actually have a friend out in California. I work a lot with him about dealing with tax plans and tax savings, and he puts together a little binder. And what he does, he has a son sit down and put the pages in the binder to organize it.

• Or you may have a child in high school who’s into graphic art or graphic arts and likes working with their computer to create images for marketing brochures for your business.
• These tasks are examples of what you can pay your child to do for rather than sending that work out-of-house. Maybe your children have a great knowledge of social media and can help your business in that respect.
• With this approach, you can have a little more control because it’s your child sitting there and you can help them. And this teaches them to learn to work in a business and then feeds their passion for what they’re doing.

Potomac Local News: A few of the questions that could lead to fear is, when it when I get my kid in the business, what about all of the paperwork involved?. Is the IRS going to look down on me for hiring my child? On paper, does it make me look like I am forcing them to do something they don’t want to do?

Walk us through the set-up process? What’s the paperwork? And then what’s the legality of it all?

The paperwork is easy

Chris Peden: The paperwork is basically setting up an employee on your program, on your payroll. I would recommend working with a great payroll company such as Paychex, which will walk you through the legal ramifications.

• When it comes to the amount of pay, make sure that the work you’re paying them a market rate for it. Ask yourself, “What would I pay a normal if someone outside my family to do this work?”
• And you want to pay them a market rate, be sure they do the work. Is the job you’ve hired them for at their skill level? Are you only going to pay someone to do quantum mechanics unless they’re really, really smart, like young Sheldon Cooper?

Potomac Local News: And finally, once you have your kids working in your business, is the work you’re paying them to do “busy” work designed to keep them entertained and out of your hair? Or, are you actually helping to set them up for success and giving them real-world experience?

Chris Peden: Absolutely. If they’re coming, they’re working for you, they’ve worked for you as an employee in your company.

• They can list that experience on a LinkedIn profile. They can put on a resume that they’ve actually done this work and they have experience.
• And if they do things as we’ve mentioned, graphic arts, social media posts, they have samples that have actually been used in a business that could lead them to find a job somewhere else or starting their own company.
• It helps them build a portfolio that they can go out and be working for other outlets for someone else or get clients on their own.

Chris Peden is the principal owner of Peden Accounting Services in Manassas. Contact him today for all of your business accounting needs by calling 703-967-1948.

On this day that the president is set to be exonerated after his impeachment trial, I stumbled on to a memory that I didn’t even recall until now.

Mr. Trump, I want you to know that I’ve been impeached, too.

I was elected president of my sophomore class at C.D. Hylton High School back in 1997. I very much enjoyed being class president and attending the student council meetings. My fellow students would talk to me about what they would like to see changed in the school.

And, now looking back on it, it was also an ego trip, as many called me — yes — Mr. President.

However, as busy as I was with the student council, I also was the publisher and ringleader of a group of guys that published an underground newspaper that we circulated around the school. I’m sure that job title doesn’t come as a surprise to many, as I founded the online news website you’re reading now.

The underground newspaper was a mix of legitimate school news, like sports, and local news — much of it was stories I rewrote from the Potomac News, the old daily newspaper of Prince William County.

In addition to the news, lunch menu, upcoming concert dates for shows at Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club and the old Jaxx club in Springfield, we had some humor in there, too, in the form of a parody of an advice column.

If I recall correctly, school administrators didn’t like our use of the phrase “pansy boy” written in the fake column, in a response to a fake letter from a fake person who wrote to the fake advice columnist, stating that they were afraid to attend school football games by themselves, without a large group of friends.

Looking back, it’s the kind of humor only a 15-year-old boy would find funny. The school principal wasn’t laughing, for sure.

After he forced me to shut down the newspaper, I was made to sit in front of a student review panel who asked me things like, why in the world would I produce such a newspaper? Did I think this was becoming of a student council president? And, given the choice to do it all over again, would I continue the print the newspaper?

While I don’t recall how I answered the first two questions, I do remember my response to the third.

“If there is another opportunity to inform students in a meaningful, constructive way, then yes, I would do it again,” I said.

That, apparently, wasn’t what they wanted to hear. I was removed from office shortly thereafter.

You can see a copy of the letter noting my impeachment and removal. I went by my middle name Alexander back then — Alex for short. With a first name that starts with “U,” I assure you, school children can make up some cruel nicknames. It wasn’t until I got a job as a reporter the old Stafford County Sun newspaper, about 10 years later, I embraced my first name again.

I don’t know why I’ve kept the letter all these years. Maybe because it’s a reminder that when we mess up, as long as you’re willing to work hard enough, you can get back on top doing what you love.

Doing the news is all I’ve ever wanted to do in life. I was 13-years-old when I got my first internship at a small NBC TV station in West Virginia. I fell in love with the idea of informing the community, telling the stories that really matter.

I’m honored that, all these years later, and after my bombshell impeachment (a term I use lightly), I’m still able to do what I love and have so many subscribers and advertisers that support this passion.

Good Morning – The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) needs volunteers who can help 4th-grade students learn to be “Safe at Home!” Volunteers should be at least 55, available during the school day and comfortable with presenting an interactive lesson in a school setting. Training is provided. You’ll feel great as you teach youngsters the skills, they need to cope with being home alone! Please contact Jan at 571.292.5307 to learn more.

Historic Dumfries needs an electrician to check out an outside security light that’s started to strobe. Please call Lisa at (703) 221-2218 for more info.

The 2020 Big Spring Neabsco Creek Cleanup is Saturday, March 7th, 9 am-12noon. Volunteers are needed to help with this fun event. You’ll meet at Neabsco Eagles Park, 15801 Neabsco Road. They’ll provide litter bags, grabbers, gloves, and light refreshments. Please wear boots for this event. Please email: [email protected] to learn more.

Clean the Stream needs volunteers on Saturday, March 14th, 9 am-12 noon at the stream adjacent to Sudley Manor Drive in Manassas. Please email them at [email protected] to learn more.
Serve Our Willing Warriors is hosting a Monte Carlo Night on March 28th at 6:30 pm. Volunteers are needed in a host of different ways to make this a successful event to support their families. Please email Sarah at [email protected] to learn more.

Girls on the Run is looking for coaches for the Spring 2020 season. Lace-up your sneakers and come inspire girls in grades 3-8 to be strong, confident and healthy. You do not need to be a runner to coach. You just need to serve as a role model by showing up prepared and on time, listening attentively and demonstrating a positive attitude. You will need to commit to 2-3 hours per week for a 10-week session with additional time for training and the 5K race. The season starts on March 2nd. Please visit their website at www.gotrnova.org to learn more.

BEACON Adult Literacy is recruiting volunteers to become instructors in the Manassas area for their ESOL programs. No second language or teaching experience needed as they will give you all the training needed to be successful. Volunteers teach for 2 hours in either morning or evening classes. Please call (571) 428-2507 to learn more.

The Kennedy Center invites volunteers age 40 and under to their 2nd Annual Carrying the Torch Forward Service Day. Please email Jessica at [email protected] to learn more

Novant Health UVA Health System needs volunteers at their three gift shops. Please register online at: www.novanthealthuva.org/giving/volunteering/novant-health-auxiliary.aspx or call (703) 369-8173 to learn more.

Keep Prince William Beautiful invites you to adopt a spot near you. It’s a great way to spruce up your neighborhood. Please email Laura at [email protected] to learn more.

The Alzheimer’s Association is looking for support group facilitators to help participants develop coping skills, share valuable info, give caregiving tips and more. Preferred skills include professional healthcare experience, experience working with people affected by Alzheimer’s, comfort with an expression of emotion and good listening skills. Please call Ben at (703) 766-9007 to learn more.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is looking for volunteers age 55+ to drive veterans or spouses to their doctor’s appointments. It’s very easy to help these individuals get the care they need while remaining in their homes. RSVP members receive mileage reimbursement and additional insurance coverage at no cost to the volunteer. Please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 to learn more.

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Jan can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1 and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org.

Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

Conservatives have momentum after yesterday’s peaceful Second Amendment rights march in Richmond.

Predictions of Antifa, or white supremacists groups infiltrating the march to incite a riot similar to what we saw in Charlottesville in 2017, didn’t happen. Governor Ralph Northam is taking credit for de-escalating what he said could have been a dangerous situation.

Now that the rally is over, those who showed up will undoubtedly continue to monitor the events in the General Assembly in Richmond that trigged the massive crowd of 20,000 people to descend onto the Capitol — proposed restrictions like limiting gun purchases to one a month, and red flag laws that allow the government to deny someone’s right-to-bear-arms if they are deemed a mental health risk.

It’s my hope that if the gun-rights debate brought them to the table, maybe they’ll stick around and become involved in the other issues facing local and state governments Perhaps, as many have said, the “sleeping giant” really is awake.

Attending meetings that cover topics like land use, school budgets, and transportation projects may not be at the top of everyone’s to-do lists, but it’s how the ditches of local and state government are dug. It’s where the community involvement process begins, and it’s where the notion of letting someone else decide your family’s future ends.

If the GOP is going to win in future elections, they’re not only going to have to pay attention to the issues, they’re also going to have dig in deep in Northern Virginia. It’s the state’s fastest-growing and most populous region. It’s an area that’s clearly friendly to Democrats, but it’s a place Republicans can no longer ignore.

During his run for Governor in 2017, Republican Corey Stewart spent a lot of time in the southwest portion of Virginia rallying the vote. He spoke to Confederate Battle flag-waving conservatives in hopes the votes from that region would carry him across the finish line in his Primary Election against Ed Gillespie and Frank Wagner.

Close, but no cigar. Gillespie became the GOP nominee and later lost to Ralph Northam by nine points.

Virginia is set to become the 10th largest state in the U.S. with an estimated 10 million people by 2040. That growth will occur in the northern part of the state, a key battleground that Republicans will need to engage if they’re going to win.

Conservatives shouldn’t be fooled by the sea of red counties on Virginia’s electoral maps. Most of those counties are shrinking in population while the blue ones are growing.

Thomas Speciale clearly knows this. The 2020 candidate for U.S. Senate has been spending his time at Prince William Board of County Supervisors meetings. Despite the fact that the county has been reliably blue since 2013, he’s been a regular at Board of County Supervisors meetings talking to voters.

Rich Anderson knows it, too. He’s vying against two other candidates to lead the state’s Republican Party in a contest that will be decided in May. After more than 10 years of statewide losses, the party is seeking new leadership, and the former delegate from Prince William County, who grew up in Virginia’s southwest city of Roanoke, may just be the man for the job with first-hand knowledge of both the southwest and northern parts of the state.

There’s a lot to be said of the role of the state and local press, too. In the past 10 years, more than 1,500 daily local newspapers across the U.S. have closed. The advertising model that once supported them has collapsed, with large companies no longer needing to place ads alongside the local news to get out their message, and instead opting for social media.

Because of this, basic facts go unreported, and meetings packed with decision-makers who control the purse strings of local and state governments go uncovered. It leads to a lack of understanding of the issues, and it leads to fewer and fewer people running for office.

Here at Potomac Local News, we’re focused this year on increasing the level of civic participation in our communities. Thanks to the support of our paid subscribers, we’ve hired new reporters to cover the Boards of Supervisors in Prince William and Stafford counties, and the city councils in Manassas and Manassas Park.

We’re soon expanding to cover the Fredericksburg City Council as the growth in that city cannot be ignored. And we’re covering meetings that, before now, we haven’t had the bandwidth to attend like the school boards, airport authorities, planning commissions, parks and recreation committees, and others.

We’re doing our part to make you smarter about your community faster. Let’s hope that these pieces of gun legislation that, for some, enraged, lead to more residents who are engaged.