It's so true, isn't it? Our own minds can absolutely be our worst enemies sometimes.

I've never heard it put as succinctly as the line you quoted, but it's a good one.

Good luck with your training!

Great to see you on Saturday Brett!

I couldn't agree with Mike more. Just write. Let it flow. The momentum of that will drive your posts onward. Not only that, but I believe that just like anything else we do, we get better when we do it more often. Prolific writing should (in turn) create more chances for you to get even better and perhaps be happier with your writing.
Will every post be a home run? Probably not, but that's okay. You've got to keep swinging!

Hi guys-
I had such a great time participating at the event, and wish I could have been there the whole time to enjoy all of the sessions.
Thanks for a great write-up, and I can't wait to see you all at the next one!

Best,
Jared

Hi Pete- This is an incredibly helpful and intuitive tool. Thanks for creating it! Let me know when you get into town. I'd love to sit down over a drink and learn more about you. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything!

I grew up in a similar environment to what you're describing, and have seen the decline of so many of these small towns. I agree with what you've said here on many levels, and would add "Lack of Education" as an over-arching theme that is comprised of many of the things you described (Dignity, Apathy, Welfare) and more.

Second point: I'm not a fan of Walmart. I have shopped there in the past, but tend not to anymore. As a corporation, I generally don't like the way they do things. In addition, I am a staunch supporter of keeping spending dollars (and thus sales tax income) inside the community.

That being said, I'm wondering about the true economic impact of Walmart stores opening up in small communities. There appears to be (and I have experienced myself) a lot of anecdotal evidence, but do you know of any rigorous studies that have proven (or disproven) the theory?

I look at a store's basic impact on the community in two ways: sales tax revenue and jobs created.

Using those metrics, I would guess that one large Walmart (operating for 24 hours a day) would actually add *more* to the community on both counts than multiple independent "Mom & Pop"-type stores operating for fewer hours. Again, that is pure educated guessing, and I would love to get some hard numbers on it.

I would think that the one Walmart would employ more people than the other stores combined due to the additional shifts required (assuming that those same people could/would be hired).

Also (and here is where I really tread on thin ice), I think the sales tax income to a community would *increase* due to a higher volume of purchases made locally. Specifically, I wonder about "special" purchases (TVs, game consoles, appliances, etc) that would not have been made locally before. When I was growing up, there were many things that simply weren't available locally, so we went to "the city" to get them, and our money (& tax dollars) went there instead of staying in our community.

Anyway, my guessing is probably no more sound that anyone else's. I *do* believe that Walmarts kill off small businesses. But my question is: What is the net impact on the community?

Thanks for a thought-provoking post.

Hear, hear! Good post on a topic that deserves more attention. Why is there such a stigma about this? Why are so many people afraid (ashamed?) of their own bodies? Why don't we teach our kids to be more open about this subject?

Can I pull my pants up now?

BWAHAHAHAHA! Awesome unicorn fly-by!

Thanks for the video posts. It's cool to keep up with what you're doing.

Take care!

Dude! The Indiana Jones-esque travel map along with plane sounds is friggin awesome!! I quite literally laughed out loud, and I still have a huge grin on my face. Well done, sir.

Enjoy your trip!

Hey Jason-
It was such a good time to present with you. We'll definitely have to do it again sometime!

This is a great write-up, and I completely agree that the event was a blast. Jeremy deserves a lot of props for his role in getting things set up. And definite big props go to Threadless, Slice of Lime, and Flying Dog. Thank you for your support!

The method of literally reading your writing out loud is an intriguing idea to me, and definitely one that I'm going to try from here on out.

Thanks for the idea!