David Michael Bruno

A Personal Decade

It finally struck me this morning that a decade is passing today. Then it hit me, this has been quite a decade!

We added two daughters to our family, and our first daughter reached double digits

None of our children suck their thumbs/pacifiers or poop in their pants anymore, and usually they make it to the bathroom when they have to throw up

Leanne and I both made it into our thirties, me a lot earlier than her

Our family got two hamsters, three cats, one dog, two guinea pigs, three birds, and countless fish (one cat, one dog, one guinea pig, all the birds, and some fish are going to make it into the new decade, barring any tragedies today)

I got an M.A. (go Wheaton!) in American religious history that I am, er uh, sort of using in roundabout ways

We bought a house

We now own a minivan and it has "student of the month" stickers all over the back (if you would have told me that ten years ago...)

I personally went through five different cars (huh?!)

I started ChristianAudio and sold my stake in the company

Other entrepreneurial tries, most notably LetterPop, did not turn out as well as ChristianAudio (though I have high hopes for the guy who bought LetterPop)

I started a blog about an average guy named Dave

Then there has been the 100 Thing Challenge, which is doing quite well, with bright prospects into the New Year and beyond

I accomplished my goal of getting a book publishing deal, though I did not quite finish the manuscript, which will be one of the first accomplishments of the next decade :-)

I surfed for the first time

I'm not going to take the time to count how many vacations we went on, but suffice to say there were quite a few and most of them were fun

We started using Apple computers instead of PCs

Gmail

Facebook

We still don't have a TV

We planted a vegetable garden in our tiny backyard

The olive tree we planted seven years ago in our tiny backyard has grown too big

Leanne's mom gave my mom one of her kidneys

We have celebrated the New Year with the same group of friends every year, and that celebration, which started with eight adults and two children has grown to eight adults and fourteen children

No doubt I am missing something important. It has truly been an incredible decade around the world, and in our home. The future looks shaky around the world, but I cannot help feeling really positive about the prospects. I believe it's a great time to be proactive. There seems to be lots of opportunity. Go get it!

New 100 Thing Challenge

Oh yeah, you read that right. A brand spanking new 100 Thing Challenge. Here's what I am going to do for 2010. It would be awesome to have you join me.

100 Hours - I am going to take 100 hours (about a 4-day weekend) to reflect, plan, and prepare for the new 100 Thing Challenge. What I have found is this. When I have a good idea on a Friday and still think it is good when I go to sleep on Monday night, it likely is worth pursuing. If the idea fizzles over the weekend, I work on dreaming up another idea. Not always, but in general it takes about 100 hours of reflection to make a good decision. Take too much time to think, though, and you'll never actually get anything done.

100 Days - Instead of a year, the new 100 Thing Challenge is going to last for 100 days (about 3 months). What I have found is this. Habits really are not formed in 3-4 weeks, as some people say. But live a certain way for a fourth of the year, and you'll see if the life change you are pursuing is 1. possible and 2. desirable.

100 Things - I still believe that American-style consumerism is the main bad habit holding back average folk in the U.S. from a productive and meaningful life. (If you doubt me, first check the status of your savings account and then check the status of your garage.) The new 100 Thing Challenge will be more flexible at this point. Some people need to live with 100 personal possessions for 100 days in order to prove to themselves that life can be great without an abundance of stuff. Others need to break their addiction to over-spending by only buying 100 things total in 100 days (which is way harder than you think). Personally, I am going to try to refine my 100 things list and also not buy more than 100 things. I am sure other people will think up other ways related to "100" to challenge American-style consumerism. Please share your ideas!

100 People - This is where the rubber hits the road, and it's also the main reason I am extending my 100 Thing Challenge. The original 100 Thing Challenge confirmed for me beyond a shadow of a doubt that American-style consumerism does nothing more than keep people stuck in stuff. But I ended my 100 Thing Challenge year wanting to do more with this knowledge. It struck me; with my new-found freedom from consumerism, I want to focus my energies on helping people I care about. There are about 6.5 billion people in the world and, last time I checked, all of us need help. I think it's reasonable to prioritize 100 of those people. So I am going to be intentional about it; think about it; make time for people. When my days on earth are done (or even while I'm still ticking) I don't want to impress others with my possessions, instead I want people to be impressed by other people - who in small ways or large - I helped be better.

Bonus 100 - I am going to add $100 a month to my $10,000 Challenge fund. One of the ironies of American-style consumerism is that the less financially responsible we are, the more we tend to buy stuff. Our system of consumerism thrives on irresponsibility. My feeling is that there are two things we must do to avoid becoming a slave to consumerism: 1. put our faith in something bigger than stuff (e.g. God) and 2. keep as much of our money as possible out of the cash registers at stores. I want to redouble my efforts to put my money to good use, so I am creating this extra little discipline of savings.

I really hope you will join me in the new 100 Thing Challenge. One of the things I've remained firm on is that the 100 Thing Challenge is flexible. People have done it in different ways. The main thing is to do something in order to resist American-style consumerism and create a more meaningful life. You'll love it. And so will everyone around you.

Merry Christmas. Christ's blessings be with you.

Accountability Is Personal Stewardship

I am getting ready to launch my blogging themes for the new year. Here's a couple of choice quotes from a recent news piece that motivates me to keep writing:

They [the Senate] will hold the final vote on major health care legislation at 8 a.m. on Thursday — Christmas Eve — followed by a vote on raising the nation’s debt limit.

The vote on the debt limit will allow a temporary two-month increase, long enough to prevent the country from defaulting.

We need people like you and me to get our personal financial houses in order. Let's be the change in 2010! Rah rah rah! We can do it, yes we can!

Mighty God

Just a quick note recommending today's sermon at Emmanuel Faith Community Church, "You Oughta Know About the Mighty God." Especially good if you are going through a tough patch.