3 Reasons I'm Stoked for 2013

So I'm not always the happy camper. Sometimes it's for good reason; others because I lack a reason. All I know is, I like looking ahead at a year so I can look back at it and be disappointed. I hope this year I've picked 3 things really worth looking forward to - ones that won't piff and poof into a magical disappointment. Here's my 3. What are yours?

3. Being Rich - Yes, I Mean You!

I'm sure plenty of other blogs comment on money, specifically what it means to the common-fellow's pocketbook. Some say we're doomed. Some say we'll see unimaginable wealth and complete removal of the word "poor" from Webster's Dictionary. However, I'd like to take a sorta-kinda-but-not-really middle lane. 

Will we feel richer in 2013? Hell no. Unless you're going to pull something serious out of your ass (which whether figurative or literal is funny) you're going to be in a similar financial situation next year. If your New Year's Resolution was to create a strategic marketing plan to amass bajingledalions of dollars, then good luck. Seriously, I mean it. Good for you, sir. Keep pushin'. 

Alas, we're not all masterminding salespersons. For the lot of us, if we're broke we'll feel broke. 

CHECK THIS! We're a lot richer than we've previously been. That's worth something, right? See, while there isn't as much money in our pockets as before, there's money floating all around us. 

One thing really cool about my late grandmother was her birth date of 1918. That means she saw a ton of stuff, including several major economic boosts and crashes. And she shared a lot of history to her grandson. 


Consider this:

Believe it or not, education rates all across the world are increasing. To localize it, even the good ol' U.S. of A. is working its way back to the top rung. This has translated to better jobs. Although jobs at the bottom rung or two are being eliminated, the ladder is getting taller. This means two things . . . 

One, it's harder to reach the top of the ladder. Two, most people have higher-skilled jobs that pay more. Also, we have dozens of social and governmental security blankets than ever before. Admittedly, they're not at the best health right now. 

WHAT'S MORE, if this tend continues, we're only going to have better jobs and better money than before. Try comparing it to my grandmother's time around the 1930s. Although things were better, they weren't this good. You know what I mean?

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2. There'll Be Less Common Jerks

Nothing's worse than a real a$$hole. Wait, no. It's worse when they're really dumb, think they're right, and congratulate themselves as though they were right. 

COOL DEAL: There's a lot of technology out there. If used for good, this technology can continue to help us with everyday activities as well as complexities. In fact, I would argue technology allows us to learn even more. Outside of cyber-genetics or some sort of braid-replaced-with-motherboard surgery, technology brings more information to the table - more answers, more voices, more meaning. 

Remember what it was like doing research as a kid prior to the 2000s? It's why we chose not to learn. But now everything is so much more accessible, that, we're probably becoming more intelligent. 

Since technology and intelligence go hand-in-hand, it's likely as technology increases, so will intelligence. If intelligence increases, so will the development of new technologies. Just think about how much you achieve thanks to your smart phone. Also think about how much information you consume, even if on Facebook. 

Not too long ago The Huffington Post shared an article about the 13 Ways the Internet is Making Us Smarter. I didn't want to use so much of one topic, but the quote is amazing. Click on it to read the entire article. Without further ado,  Senior Researcher of Harvard's Berkman Center had this to say:

Since the ancient Greeks, our basic strategy in the West for dealing with a world that has always been too big to know has been to reduce the world to manageable bits. 

We've filtered out most of what was submitted for publication, and experts break off a brain-sized chunk of the world and master it thoroughly. That way we can go to them with a question, get an answer, and — here's the crucial part — we can then stop asking. 

We don't have to re-run the experiments or do original research. Credentials are another stopping point in this system. 

It's been an incredibly efficient system that's made us the dominant species on the planet. But at a price. It's prone to errors (especially to big ones), it's awash in power politics, and it raises hurdles for casual exploration.  

Still, it was the best we could do when knowledge's medium was disconnected. But it's not what knowledge is or has to be. 

We know this for sure because now that all that it takes to explore more widely is a flick of your finger, knowledge is transforming from a system of stopping points into a web of temptations... temptations to explore and learn. 

1. More of No-Injury Policy & Possibly I New Book

Let's face it: I'm a writer. This is what I do.

2012 was great for No-Injury Policy, and I have to ask that you help me keep things going. Haven't bought the book, won't buy the book, or can't afford the book? No probs - Just spread the word. 

As for the future . . . 

I intend on finishing the sixth draft of His Daughter, which I'm sure some of will show up on Book Country. This is the same ol' story as I've mentioned before, only it's gotten a real make-over. I'm almost finished with the outline, and soon I'll be onto the new draft. All new material! Hopefully amazing. 

By mid-2013, I hope it's a finish package looking for a home. Or maybe it'll even have a home! 

Until then, keep reading! 

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what about the future excites you? comment below.

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