Good afternoon, Warriors, and welcome to the sauna that is the desert southwest in the monsoon season! I have seen more storms this year than I have in many years, and it is beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the desert bloom again soon, and am looking forward to sunset bonfires and cookouts under the trees.
For many of you it might seem strange that I would be looking forward to seeing flowers and green, while many of you are planning for a long, cold, snowy winter, and beginning the process of putting into storage your summer games and leisure activities. In fact, in the retail world, many of you might be seeing the outdoor furniture sales begin while your local stores try and get rid of existing stock to bring in the money makers for the holiday season.
So, with this image in your thoughts, I want you to consider the following question: Why, at the beginning of what would be the prime season for selling outdoor furniture, barbecue grills, etc.? A smart business wouldn’t. However, this world is not run by brilliant people (in my humble opinion based on my personal experience), and the majority of people holding the positions that can make those decisions, don’t. They are still operating on a “one-size fits all” approach. So the people in power in places like New York City, for example, are losing money because they are still using an East Coast plan. Another example: While the people in snow country are enjoying the summer sunshine, business are trying to sell metal lawn furniture to people who are living in 115 degree heat (measured in the little shade we have).
A smart business isn’t going to make those mistakes. A smart plan is to tailor your product line to each individual region. It might take a little more planning, but the long-term reward would be worth it. Here, it would be smart to have outdoor living available for purchase during the holidays… They make great gifts, and you can show off your new furniture during your holiday party!
Now, I’m not really talking about furniture and retail planning here. But I have been holding that story for many years now, and it really is a good example of society. We are all individuals. There are similarities between us, yes. But you have different skills, specialties, needs, wants, likes and dislikes. There is no circumstance where all of us can get together and we will agree 100% on absolutely everything. In fact, that statement might be the only thing we can agree on.
This is not a “one size fits all” world. And leaving our decisions up to people who don’t know, and can’t possibly know our circumstances, wants and individual needs is a issue. If we want things to change, and we want things to get better, it starts with us as individuals recognizing that we are individuals. We make our choices and decisions in our home, in our space. We fix ourselves first, and when we engage with others outside our own space, we recognize them as individuals first, know that they have their own and find common ground. We are not going to dictate to the store manager how he is going to run his store, but we might suggest things that are more appropriate or appealing in our region, things we’d like to see in the store that are more region friendly, so to speak.
In today’s society, it has become all to common for us to passively accept someone, or something other than ourselves to just make our decisions for us. We need to start taking accountability for ourselves, and we need to start taking back our freedom to choose, to make our own decisions. We need to let the powers that be, whoever and whatever they are, know that we do not fit in their box, and we do not all wear the same size.
Blessed Be.
The Warriors Den 