Be an Action Figure

In 2025, resolve to be an action figure.

You don’t even need a Mission Purse. You just need to take action.

Don’t take it from me, take it from my writing hero:

When you take action, you become the master of your universe.

“It doesn’t matter how good it is, or how bad… ” Damn straight! No one starts out as a master of their craft. It takes a lot of “bad” to get “good.” Don’t be paralyzed by the fear of “not good enough.”

“Action is hope”… and we could use more of that in our universe, to combat the Dark Side.

So take action, Jackson!

(Mod styled hair sold separately!)

Year-end Accounting Class

It’s time to sharpen our pencils, pull out the ledger and take account of the year we just lived through. How are you tracking on your personal wealth goals?

That’s something they never taught you in Accounting 101. But if you’re using any other measure, you’re doing it wrong.

Your legacy compounds daily. Keep investing!

Happy New Year!

My early Christmas present

On Monday (“Festivus!”), I met a couple of friends downtown for happy hour. Because I’m a cheapskate, I parked at a spot off the grid, where there are no parking meters.

When I came back to the car, I found out my “Secret Santa” had left me a lovely present:

“A free upgrade to my car’s air conditioning? You shouldn’t have!”

“And a lovely glass mosaic too! You’re too kind!”

There was absolutely nothing of value visible in the car… and nothing of value in the glove compartment either, as my new friends soon discovered.

(I can’t believe they didn’t want my tire pressure gauge. Or the owner’s manual for a 2009 Honda CR-V. They’ll regret that later.)

Apparently this is the latest m.o. for “window shoppers” (per my new friends in the auto glass replacement business). They don’t have to see anything of value in the car. They just smash a window, quickly fish for goodies, then move on to the next unsuspecting victim. The car thief equivalent of a scratch-off lottery ticket.

So I saved about $9 in parking fees… and am out $250 for a new window. But tbh, it just as easily could’ve happened if I’d parked at a meter. Downtown was pretty much a ghost town that evening. And I’m not going to beat myself up when it’s the would-be thieves who deserve the punishment.

I hope your holiday season wasn’t quite as smashing!

The Wanting is the Hardest Part

Seth Godin published the post below a couple of weeks ago. But it’s perfect for the gift-giving and gift-getting extravaganza that will happen in most homes tonight and tomorrow:

The things under the tree are just things. And what you already have — especially if you have family and friends — is more than enough.

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

Dr. Seuss