I am one of the 38M+ members of the AARP. I joined (my wife signed me up) to get some deal on Medicare or whatnot. Fine. Sounds like there are many (many) things in the AARP universe that I might want to check out.

It hit me that I am part of the AARP COMMUNITY now. I am part of the mutual buying power, the knowledge, the technology, the talent of the aggregate.

I am also one of the 65M+ members of the AAA. I am part of the COMMUNITY that is getting automotive, travel, insurance, and financial services across North America. But I don't consider those 65M+ members my competition. If they do well, if they purchase better, if they find a short cut - good for them. In fact, we all do better because WE ALL DO BETTER. The VALUE of the AAA is BECAUSE there are millions of members. Not thousands, but millions. 

In January we shall once again be at Javits Center in NYC for the NRF 'Big Show'. (www.NRF.com) Did you know that 1 out of every 4 people in the USA works in retail (at some level)? Well, now you know. But I know for a fact that Walmart and Target and Amazon and Best Buy (and...and.....and...) are indeed competitors. Ah, but the folks that WORK in retail (the PEOPLE) they are part of the retail community. Maybe even colleagues. 

In 2025, the NYDLA.org | NADLA.org services 174K+ K-20 schools across North America. And we service THE ALUMNI of our 174K+ schools. I know for a fact that Penn State World Campus (700K+ alumni) is competing with PURDUE UNIVERSITY ONLINE (600K+ alumni) who is competing with RUTGERS (600K+ alumni) and so on. If you pay tuition to NJIT, you are not going to pay tuition to MIT or Stevens or Stanford Online. The schools are competing against each other for tuition paying students. Ah, but the power of the ALUMNI NETWORK is why you might choose one school over another. Especially if you are never going to step foot on campus. You might never step foot in that COUNTRY.  See: TheCloudUniversity.com 
 

When I was at NFL HQ in NYC last week (BIG Microsoft Customer) it hit me that those 32 teams are most definitely competitors. Every Sunday there will be a winner and a loser. Ah, but the players will one day retire, and maybe they will make it into the NFL Hall of Fame. The individual players in the NFL will be competitors for only a short period of time - but they will be colleagues for life. They will be a part of the NFL COMMUNITY for life.

There is a life lesson buried in here somewhere. Competition is temporary. COMMUNITY is forever. So be nice, be kind to everyone you work with, with everyone you know.

You might see them again when you get inducted into YOUR Hall of Fame for YOUR industry.

Oh, and GO PURDUE!!!

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