Every time I run out of toothpaste my wife buys something
different, it’s always a surprise what flavor or brand I’ll have next! It’s not that she forgets the brand it’s just
that after 10 minutes in the aisle staring at the shelf trying to find it she
gives up and grabs something that looks close enough to what I use. I can’t blame her (rather her shop than me)
it’s simply a frustrating experience.
Walk into any CVS, Rite Aid or Walmart and you’ll find not
one but 20 plus types of toothpaste.
There is gel, paste, mint, baking soda…some offer whitening, plaque
removal, tartar control, anti-calculus (whatever that is), desensitizing and
the old standby fluoride. When I was
growing up in the 70’s there was Crest and Colgate. Done.
Choice was easy. Not so today.
What is said about toothpaste can be said about a thousand other products
that offer a variety of choices, for this is clearly a sign of a country with
abundance. Would you rather not have
choices? Of course not, choices are
wonderful, however, I believe having so many choices for things as simple as
toothpaste is causing the nation stress.
It is said that 8 million adults in the U.S. have ADHD. (attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder) There are many causes for this disorder that
leads to a chaotic and disorganized lifestyle.
Medication can help, however, those that live with ADHD know how tough
life can be at times. I wonder if our
chaotic lifestyle might lead to Adult ADHD.
How can anyone focus with the dizzy array choices and decisions we make daily? Cable:
500 stations. Radio: 300 stations on XM.
Gas: 87 Octane, 89 Octane, 93 Octane.
Email, voicemail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, iPhone, iPad,
iPod, Pinterest, Blogs (not this one of course) where am I going with all
this…I believe if we are going to have a quality impact on the lives of others
(and our own) don’t allow yourself to stress out over making decisions based on
a variety of choices thrown at us everyday.
Give yourself the gift of time.
Time allows you to think, enjoying sound judgment giving substance to
your decisions. Who knows, maybe you’ll
go right to the aisle that has your favorite toothpaste. You want fries with that?
Tim...
ReplyDeleteWe have so many choices that sometimes I believe we as the "Abundant" forget how blessed we are to have "Choice". I cann't help to think about those people that will never walk into a grocery store or get a chance to sit at a computer to send email.
Thanks for the reality check.
Dan Prather
www.danprather.tel