It is a new year and hope abounds. One of my goals this year is to read more and spark more opportunities to write. I’ve got the tools and just need to start. In the past, I’ve been distracted or forced to work on something else. Starting and stopping seems to sap the motivation and instill a bit of fear, that something else will come up. I get wrapped up more in work and have less time for writing or creating.

It is not bad to be wrapped up in work, but it makes it hard to focus on other things. I like to create content and look forward to new ways to do so. Learning where to add content, how to influence change, and when to kick advocating for others up a few notches are efforts I want to focus on. I just need to include “me” in the off times.

This year also brings the idea of change. I get to expand my influence which means new opportunities to learn. I think that with my resolution of reading more, I need to include dedicated time to learn. From podcasts about content design, to workshops (maybe???), I want to make this year about professional development as well.

This week I spent a lot of time thinking about the future and what will happen in 20 years. It made me think back to when I first started working at full-time jobs and how I should have double-checked my 401k contributions. It is not something they teach you in school. Instead, you learn this by being around adults and figuring out that one day, you will be retired and will need to live. You will have unexpected events in your life and you will need some way to solve them.

This is your reminder!

You need to make sure you save a little from each paycheck AND contribute to your future. Pay yourself first and then make sure you are paying yourself later on. It is easy to live in the moment. You can decide on a whim to go to that movie, have that coffee, or take a trip to that concert. Now let’s be honest, it’s not easy to save. You may not make that much money. You may have bills to pay and things that you need. But if you can……if you can….. save something.

This is your reminder!

Save those pennies, put off that new phone, and stop going out for that coffee so often. Yes, you should treat yourself. But remember that one day, you may want a bigger treat. Live for the day and those days that are yet to come. You will thank yourself later.

I mentioned that you will need some way to solve the unexpected. You may not be able to solve them with money. There are events that no amount of money can help with. But having money for the future can make those events less stressful. You can reduce the worry about those things that money can help with, and then gives you more time to focus on other solutions. They say “Money cannot buy happiness”. Okay, I’ll accept that. I’ll accept that there are other concerns when you have money. I’ll even accept that money may cause problems. But one day when you are older and you realize that you missed out on saving for the future, it will make you think.

This is your reminder.

It is a way of life these days for people to be remote. With so many people that are vulnerable to Covid it just makes sense to reduce the chance, it can pass easily when possible. However, some people want and need to be around others. They need to be able to do their jobs and that means taking a chance.

I don’t mind being remote and would like to stay remote. I understand that not everyone can do their jobs remotely and even understand that some businesses want their people in-house. But to me, the benefits of being remote are just too numerous. For one I can take care of my mom while working from home. For another, I can drop everything to record some audio without having to look for a quiet place.

I work a lot in video these days and being able to replace my voice-over track on the fly saves me time. I am learning more about video and audio so that I reduce the need to re-record something, but being able to just pull the microphone over, hit record, and get it done is awesome. Also, being remote gives me a chance to be able to multitask. I can easily write a little HTML, prepare a script for a video, and help out coworkers from the same place at the same time.

I know that dealing with huge video files remotely will be rough on data plans, but I would really like to be able to do it. I can imagine living in an RV, working full time, and perhaps one day It will be true. Even if RV-life is not in the cards, perhaps a nomadic lifestyle would be. The idea of waking up and working by the beach or near a mountain or anywhere is very appealing.