I don’t like saying no.  I shouldn’t say this because someone reading this article may bombard me with a request for assistance. I’ve had a tendency to take on too many things partly because I don’t want to say no. A turning point for me came a few years ago when I came to the realization that every time I said yes to request I was, by default, saying no to something else. Perhaps I was saying no to family time or to another priority commitment. In life there are no free lunches and no extra time, so when we add something; it alters the schedule. The only question is what part do we alter?

We all receive unsolicited information particularly by email. Most are targeted in such a way to make us believe we are one in 10,000 or 100,000 receiving such a generous offer. I received one the other day apparently as follow-up indicating they had not received a response to their invitation to a wonderful seminar. I never asked to be invited. I never asked to be on the mailing list. Frankly, I had zero interest in attending the seminar. Yet, the follow-up came again and again. Unsolicited offers where the sender acts like they know what we need and want are annoying.

Walmart, known for a diversity of merchandise at low cost, is entering the health care field in a significant way. In a few select stores a wide variety of health care products such as dental and medical services will be available. Here’s a list of some services:

Primary care
Dental
Counseling
Labs and X-ray
Health screening
Optometry
Hearing
Fitness and nutrition
Health insurance education and enrollment

Former President Jimmy Carter was recently in the news. At age 95, he had surgery to relieve pressure from his brain after several recent falls. First reports indicate the surgery went well.

Since leaving the White House, the former president has taught Sunday School on a regular basis.  Even now, despite his weakened health, he still schedules himself for teaching twice a month. At 95, most of us wouldn’t be so ambitious.

Additionally, Jimmy Carter has been very committed to the work of Habitat for Humanity. When physically able, he still goes to project sites to swing a hammer, lend his name, and encourage volunteers.

Amazon rose as a juggernaut in the marketplace and many competitors scratch their heads and say, how can we compete? The casual observer might think Amazon will never lose their dominant position.  

A hundred plus years ago people said the same things about Sears.  Sears was a dominant retailer, and other companies struggled to compete. America was different then.  Sixty per cent of the people lived outside of cities. Sears marketed itself as “the cheapest supply house on earth.”  Similarly today, Amazon markets itself as the least costly option for buying goods.