The Prognosticator of Pittsburgh
I have to be honest with you: The reason it took me so long to publish this post was the dearth of interesting news stories (or my lack of imagination) during the first three weeks of 2023. It feels like we’ve been reading, thinking, and griping about the same topics (the Fed’s meddling, AI’s impact, Elon’s shenanigans, FTX’s balance sheet, and TikTok’s future) for months.
Which means I’ve been struggling to find something worthwhile to bloviate about. Layoffs? Nobody seems to really care about 40,000 coders and bankers losing their jobs. Davos prostitutes? $2,500 a night in Switzerland sounds about right (I hear it’s an expensive country). The debt ceiling? It’s been increased 78 times since 1960 and it will inevitably be increased again. Meh, meh, and meh.
So what’s a burgeoning finance writer supposed to, you know, write about? It’s time to turn to a trope used by blocked-up writers for centuries: The Prediction. What follows are my own prognostications for the coming year…
I predict that the stock market will fluctuate, that a politician will be disgraced, and that a world-changing breakthrough be mostly ignored by mainstream media. I predict that Christopher Nolan’s next movie will be a hit, that Goldman will be wrong, and that the Super Bowl halftime show will be overrated. I predict that sh*t will happen. I predict we’ll make it through. I predict an unpredictable 2023.
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I think my theme for 2023 is going to be 💫CONNECTIONS💫. Basically, I want to expand my online and in-person friend group, making it both wider (number of friends) and deeper (more than just surface-level conversations). A big step towards that goal was joining the Find the Others Community and a few local meetup-type groups in the last few weeks.
I also need to practice being a better friend - less selfish, more selfless. That means carving out more time for conversations, becoming a great listener, asking if there’s anything I can help with, and offering unvarnished encouragement - all things I can certainly work on this year.
But even outside of the “friend framework,” I need to be open to more spontaneous encounters. Some new rules for when I’m out of the house: Stop hunching over your phone, keep your head up, view your surroundings. Make eye contact, smile, say hello. Meet someone with an interesting story to tell. Don't even ask their name. Shake hands knowing you’ll probably never see them again.
All connections are beautiful, even (especially?) the short ones.
Devin Faddoul, CFP® is the founder of Adda Financial | Outsource your financial life. Focus on your real life.