Last week, @themarkymark popped up a great initiative to get people to not only write something a bit more personal and meaningful...but to challenge us to dig deep within ourselves. It actually included a contest for 100 Steem as well which is just the sweet tasty icing on the cake. The contest itself is done and while I missed the qualifier for it and can no longer win, I still want to participate in the main objective and point of his initial post which was to challenge us all to try to better ourselves. You can read his post here which gives a bit of background.
https://steemit.com/getshitdone/@themarkymark/marky-s-get-shit-done-contest-100-steem
Also throw one of his new posts an upvote. He’s one of the good ones here trying to get us all to be more involved. Show the boy some love!!!
As I read through his post, I immediately knew some of the weak points that I’ve been slacking on and areas that I need to improve upon. Sure, I can cut down my Coca-Cola intake as it’ll probably kill me. I should be stretching each and every morning...even doing yoga...but I’m not because I’m stupid. But the main thing I kept coming back to was how I just am not where I want to be at this point in my life.
What I mean by that is, I’m not doing what I LOVE. I’m also in no way saving and preparing for retirement. While I have the business and a personal inventory that crushes what 95% of shops have, I am not liquid...at all. If an emergency or amazing opportunity came knocking on my door, I would be ill prepared for it and at 5 days away from 39 years old...that worries me.
As a collector, I’ve dabbled in statues, comics, toys, and so much more for decades. Not to toot my own horn, but my collection is pretty damn impressive. The problem is that my focus has changed in recent years. While I still love this nerdy world I’m involved in on a daily basis, I’ve realized that I no longer need or want the majority of what I’ve acquired throughout the years.
In recent years, I’ve shifted my focus onto just one specific comic title. The Amazing Spider-Man. I’m aiming for every single issue ever printed....including every multiple printing and variant cover. Yeah, I’m dumb and insane. I know. As of right now and not including variant covers, I only need 16 more issues to complete my run. I have every other issue ever printed. It’s taken me over 25 years to get to this point and I’m thrilled at the reality of being one of a handful of folks on the planet who will have a complete run of the most popular comic title ever.
They are in the 800’s currently. Outside of that run, I’m only going to focus on a smattering of key issues. The rest of my 300 long box collection?!? I simply don’t care for. That, along with the 5000 plus action figures, and 1000 plus statues and busts that have just been taking up space for ages. I’m also dabbling in some original art...but that’s it!!! I swear!!!
I’m going to keep a couple of pieces that I like, maybe enough to fill up one Detolf case from IKEA but the rest of it...I just want out of here. The problem I’ve faced in recent years is that I just had this stuff packed away. My attic. The parents attic. The shed. The garage. The basement. Some of its even at the shop. Moving into the new house was a nightmare and I don’t want to have to do this nonsense again. So I’ve decided I need to take a stand and start the purge. Not only will it be beneficial to clear out some room, but I desperately could use the funds.
That’s the main motivator to be honest. I’m sitting on a gold mine of product, but it’s not liquid. I have to sell this stuff. While I don’t hold a ton of debt, it does exist. I’d love to take the kids to Disney before they get too old. I want to start investing towards the future. I’m tired of living in the now and struggling financially each and every day. I have the opportunity to really change my life and move this stuff onto better homes that they will be appreciated at....all the while bettering my future.
Ive been moving some stuff in the past month and while it’s nothing major, it’s shit that has been sitting around forever. $20 bucks here, $65 bucks there. I’d like to build it up to the point where for the next few years, I’m averaging over $100 bucks a day in sales. It’ll take a few months to build up to that point as it takes time to get this product all listed, but I’m going to work at it until a major dent is made. I want to be completely debt free. Then I want to throw a small chunk more into Steem, Bitcoin, and a few other tokens, jump back into some safe long term stocks, and have a safety net of cash set aside. That’s my goal by the time I turn 40 which is 370 days away.
It’s completely doable...I just have to work hard. I have the product. I just have to put in the time and effort. I think by doing this, besides the obvious benefits of new space created and more financial freedom...my overall well being will improve. I hate thinking about which bills I’m going to juggle this month. I sit up at night getting piss poor sleep because of these things. I just want to feel more secure financially. I hold all the keys to my own success here so I’m going to start tackling it. Well, I already started but I’m rolling through like a freight train now. So here I am...370 days away from 40 years old. Can I change my life for the better in this timeframe?!? Wish me luck folks!!!
Blewitt