What I'm Up To
​Volume 102

Hey friends,
​
Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 101…
​​
1. December Happenings
​I kicked off the month with a trip to Charleston for Stu and Amy McLaren’s Village Impact Masterminds. I made some new friends, connected with some old ones, and learned a ton. My small mastermind group included Amy Porterfield, Michael Hyatt, Russell Brunson, Stu McLaren, and Brandon Turner. Pinch me! The final evening, we co-hosted a massive webinar raising funds to build schools in Africa. When all the receipts are in, they expect to have raised over $800,000.
​
While I don’t have pics, Wendy and the Papasan Properties Group hosted “Holiday Heroes.” Together with volunteers from my work, they provided holiday presents for more than twenty families with children in cancer treatment.
​
The UT Women’s Volleyball team had a great year, going 21-2 for the regular season. They then lost to Kentucky in the SEC final and to Wisconsin in the NCAA Regional Final. Wendy and I got to see them defeat the reigning champs, Penn State, in the NCAA tournament. I am now on the hunt for season tickets.
​
Jim Kwik invited me to deliver a keynote at his Limitless Live event. The lineup was next level – Amy Purdy, Jamie Kern Lima, Shawn Stevenson, Vanessa Van Edwards, and many more. I delivered a new talk I’ve been working on, called The Busyness Trap. It seems we all have too little time and too many things to do. It's the path to stress, anxiety, and burnout. We need a better approach. I anticipate giving this talk a lot in 2026!
​

With all our travel and holiday gatherings, I didn’t get to enjoy the whole weekend of “Fishmas.” This was my 22nd time driving to the Texas coast to fish for redfish and trout with some of my oldest friends. Even though I drove 8 hours for one day on the water, I have no regrets. Laughing and making memories with people you love is the point.
​
I came home early to attend our neighborhood holiday party. We made friends with a bunch of parents at Barton Hills Elementary and are blessed that most still live in the neighborhood. Wendy got Franklin’s BBQ for her team party. And our “Hot Millionaires” investor club met at the Dead Rabbit to celebrate our wealth-building wins for the year. I had maybe too much fun (aka Irish Expresso Martinis). Dry January is just around the corner!
​
For the second year, we did the “12 Cocktails of Christmas.” Each night, I made a new or a favorite cocktail. Some nights we split one. Other nights, we hosted friends and neighbors. My favorite was Gus bringing four of his college buddies over. Wendy told them they had to dress up and talk to the adults. We took turns drawing dad jokes and thoughtful questions from a bowl. If you drew a joke, you had to tell it. If you drew a question, everyone had to take turns answering it.

We celebrated Christmas and this year we had a quiet one. Since 2012, one of our traditions is to spin under the Zilker Tree on Christmas Eve. It started as a way to wear them out and wind them down for bed. Happily, our adult kids seem intent on keeping the tradition. ❤️ We made croissants for breakfast and traded gifts in the morning. Later, Wendy’s mom and sister came by for a proper brunch.
​

My Memphis family flew in on the 28th and stayed through the New Year. We own a time-share at the Barton Creek Resort, which makes hosting nine guests manageable. My sister is recovering from foot surgery, so we kept it pretty low-key. We had a big lunch at Matt’s Famous El Rancho, cooked barbeque shrimp for Jan’s birthday, had cocktails at the resort for New Year’s Eve, and even caught a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse.
​
A small group of us played a round of golf at Barton Creek. Our mission: discreetly spread the last of my father’s ashes on one of his favorite courses. Brent, my ever-thoughtful brother-in-law, selected the signature hole, Fazio Foothills #16. There is a waterfall and a canyon by the green. My dad would often risk life and limb to climb down the short cliff to collect golf balls he didn’t need. Before I was born, he and his buddies would sneak onto golf courses at night and wade into the ponds and lakes barefoot to snag balls. There was always a big bucket of them in our garage. RIP, Dad. 💔 We miss you.
​

It’s always a pleasure to review my annual reading and watching. I read so many excellent books this year. Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, and The Blackhouse by Peter May would round out my top ten for fiction. The next three from nonfiction would be When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy by Sam Vander Wielen, Running Down a Dream by Tim Grahl, and The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom.
​
It's odd but correct that my top three movie experiences were all animated films. I would love to see Flow on a big screen. It’s truly a work of art. Shows dominate our viewing time. After a long day, one or two episodes just seem to be a good wind-down for us. The only surprise for me was how much I enjoyed Downton Abbey.
​
​2. What I’m Reading
​ finished on a reading tear. The holidays allowed for a lot more daytime reading, so I wasn’t nodding off after a few chapters. Michael Chabon crafted a Sherlock Holmes novel with The Final Solution. Sherlock is old and retired. He spends his time tending his bees until the sight of a young German boy on the train tracks ignites the detective again. On a lark, I listened to Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green on Audible on my drive down to the coast. It ended up being my favorite nonfiction book of the year. Get over the topic, people, and read it. You won’t regret it!
​
Every December, I read the latest Jack Reacher novel. This year’s edition, Exit Strategy by Lee and Andrew Child, was not very remarkable. I think I need a new, fun action series. If you know a good series, please share.

I read Your World Class Assistant by Michael Hyatt after hearing Hyatt talk about training your AI Assistant the same way you would an EA. It’s a short read but very basic, IMHO.
​
Now, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy was my favorite novel this year. I know you’re wondering if I’m suffering from recency bias with two top reads in the last month. But this book was magical. It’s about a widower and his three kids serving as caretakers of a lighthouse on an island near Antarctica. On that island is a failing seedbank intended to feed the world. A woman washes ashore in an epic tempest. Everyone has secrets. It’s a mystery and a love story. It’s about the power of nature and a parent’s love.
​
Lastly, I read Dog Show by Billy Collins. A Christmas gift from my mom, Collins is my favorite poet. My affection for poetry is like my love for music. Enthusiastic but without qualifications. I can’t read music or play an instrument. But my toes can tap out a beat. And a bootleg of me singing alone in the shower or my car might make a Billboard list, if I could just remember all the words. One of my goals this year is to read at least six volumes of poetry. Hold me to it.
​
​3. What I’m Watching
​Wendy and I completed our British melodrama binge with Downton Abbey, Season 6 (Peacock) and Downton Abbey, the first movie (Netflix). We also wrapped up Down Cemetery Road (Apple+). Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson make a great odd couple in the thriller based on the debut novel from Mick Herron of Slough House fame.
​
I thought Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix) was much better than the second Benoit Blanc film. Great cast and a solid whodunnit. My nieces ironically picked The Housemaid for our family movie outing. About half our crew had read the book and agreed it was a good adaptation. The other half got to enjoy the big plot twist. It’s no Body Heat (which I think is the best of the genre), but it’s good fun.

That’s it for this month. Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!
​
Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay

Forward to a Friend

See something that you know a friend would like? Forward to them so they don't miss out. And if you were forwarded this email and want more of What I’m Up To, you can sign up here.

Unsubscribe

If this isn’t for you, feel free to Unsubscribe