Business

Before the New Year started, I was speaking with The Thunderbolt and told her, “We’re going to be challenged this year, my dear.” She looked at me strangely and said, “Is there something you want to tell me?” I told her, “No. I just know its going to be a difficult year.”

Here is why:

I lead a fairly indulgent lifestyle (My friends are laughing really hard right now because “indulgent” is an understatement to them. “Spoiled” and “selfish” are other adjectives I’ve heard used). I think what people don’t realize is that I’ve been pretty smart with my career as well as some financial decisions and that translates into a bit of disposable income. That, coupled with the fact that I don’t have any children (that I know of, at least), means I pretty much do what I want to do.

I see where my life is headed though, and in twenty years, I doubt I’m going to have the type of retirement I’m going to need to continue to be indulgent.

And I like being indulgent. It’s fun. I have a good time.

But if I’m wanting to truly live the good life in my golden years, I should probably start working on it now (before now actually). So I’m doing a couple of things. I’m starting back to school and starting up a new business.

I’m starting back to school in April with the Aji Network. It’s a business certification and I’m excited to shore up a part of my life that, heretofore, my knowledge has been lacking. I’ve been impressed with the people I’ve talked to (those in the program and those that have passed) and it comes highly recommended. But, more importantly, I’ll be able to use this knowledge to help build a portfolio of business ideas that I’m hopeful will sustain me in the future, the foundation of which I can share with you now . . . LightThread.

What is LightThread? We’ll leave that for another post.

So with going back to school, starting a new business, some uncertainty in my day job, one might think that might be enough stress in my life. But that’s not the way life works.

You see we are all born into a family. Sometimes families are close and sometimes they aren’t. But even when families suck, we still care. It’s a weird truth but still valid. Sharing a common bond of parents shapes us, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better. I happen to be born into a close Irish Catholic family. I’m the youngest of six by quite a bit actually. And as the caboose, my brothers and sisters loom large in my life. In many ways they are bigger than life. When I was younger I looked up to all of them as they were all out of the house living big lives while I worried about getting homework done or if Tia Alberti would ever dream of going out with me. They were all older and smarter than me and I love them dearly.

More background: My father died when I was 13 at the age of 58. My oldest brother Johnny died when he was 58. And so I was shaken over the holidays when I found out my brother was diagnosed with Stage III cancer over the holidays. He is in his mid-fifties. I’m not worried so much of my own mortality. I just care for my brother and his family. And I’m fearful of the idea of living the rest of my life without him. I was shaken by this news in a way I’ve been shaken in a long time.

And I’ve come to realize, after 42 years, a couple of things:

1. All the bullshit things I’ve surrounded myself with don’t really matter.

2. I want to live happily, comfortably and without compromise well into my sixties, seventies, eighties and beyond.

And being able to live the second point, doesn’t happen without a plan. What’s yours? I’m actively looking for ideas.