📰 June 12, 2026 — 8:57 a.m.
Today Simba is back in his window.
I should feel relieved.
Instead I feel a little empty.
A little sad.
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It’s strange.
An animal that has never spoken a word to me means so much.
When he’s gone one day, I’ll miss him.
I already know that.
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The prompt asks:
What’s your top tip to be successful in life?
Honestly?
I don’t know if I’ve ever felt successful.
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I live in a garage.
I went back to school in 2015 and it took forever.
Community college.
University.
Degrees.
Now I sell plastic bags and paper bags around Los Angeles.
I’m single.
No wife.
No girlfriend.
No friends.
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So when people talk about success, I’m not always sure where I fit into the conversation.
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But I have learned one thing.
If your life feels like it’s falling apart, save money.
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Not because money solves everything.
It doesn’t.
Not because money buys happiness.
It doesn’t.
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Because life is unpredictable.
Pets get sick.
Cars break.
Emergencies happen.
Ideas appear.
Opportunities appear.
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And it’s easier to face those things when you’ve filled a few future buckets.
A savings account.
Some cash.
Investments.
Something.
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Maybe that’s what I’ve been doing these last few years.
Not building wealth.
Building options.
Building a little breathing room.
Building the ability to respond when life happens.
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I don’t know if that’s success.
But it feels better than being completely unprepared.
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And maybe that’s enough.
Maybe success isn’t always about arriving somewhere.
Maybe sometimes it’s knowing that something you did today might help you tomorrow.
Maybe sometimes it’s just feeling like something amounted to something.
💬 Reader Question
What is one piece of advice you would give someone who feels like their life is falling apart?
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