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Writer's pictureJohn Lim
Dec 2, 20214 min read

MF 365 : December 2021 updates

Updated: Jun 16, 2022



Today, I cover some December updates including my evolving thoughts on gift giving, the podcast, Poshmark's new market, more on supply chain issues and how that affects the market, and my recent booster shot. More at www.bemovingforward.com.


Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, and Amazon Music.


December updates


I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We're winding down to the end of the season and today, I wanted to share a few updates.


Holiday episodes


Thank you for the great response on the Thanksgiving episode. If you enjoy commentaries, check out the one I did a few years ago with Angelo Spenillo on the 1984 rendition of A Christmas Carol starring the legendary George C. Scott as Ebeneezer Scrooge. It's available now on the holiday collection miniseries page.


Rethinking gifts

Speaking of the holidays, over the past year or two, I've moved away from gift giving. While I enjoy the tradition, it's something my family and close friends feel no longer is necessary. Part of this is borne from reducing the amount of stuff we have. One of my past vices was collecting movies and TV shows on physical media, including blu ray and DVD. Ironically, I found that I mostly redeem the digital copies that come with the physical media and default to watching the content on streaming. Today, so many shows and movies are available on streaming that I find myself using physical media less and less. Moreover, as I get older, I appreciate quality time in the form of a meal, a get together or staying in contact through video or voice calls as a more meaningful way to celebrate friendships and the holidays. My mantra has become is less stuff, more meaningful moments. This isn't a hard and fast rule as there are times when giving gifts can be special and appropriate. It's just no longer a significant part of who I am. 2021 was the first year I skipped looking at Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and I'm happy to say, I didn't really miss it.


Poshmark


Next season, I'll be diving into the new CRM features on the platform that I briefly discussed on episode 363 (November updates). Poshmark has also expanded to different markets both in geography (Canada, Australia, India) and in market type. Last year, home goods became a popular new category with sellers offering everything from pillow cases to dishes to artwork. Over the past few weeks, Poshmark has opened the door for Poshers to sell electronic devices. As electronics (phones, game systems, DVD players, etc.) are always in demand, this is a fantastic opportunity for new sellers to find success in a wholly new category, while clearing out some clutter.


Supply chain crunch


Increasingly, I'm seeing the effects of the supply chain crunch in the aisles at the grocery store and places like Costco. Concurrently, as supplies shrink, prices are increasing on certain staples like bacon.


Booster shot


The Monday before Thanksgiving, I got my booster shot. I got it at my physician's office and I'm grateful it's now available to anyone who needs it. I did experience a strong reaction, including aches, fatigue and a mild fever that knocked me out for a day or two. By Wednesday and Thanksgiving Thursday, I was fine. For more on this, check out episode 337, which includes a minor rant on the oddly sized vaccine cards.


The roller coaster market


Speaking of boosters (and virus variants), supply chains, and the holidays, the market has been in a bit of a tail spin lately. Monday, we experienced a significant drop after a half-day gain on Friday. As I recorded this week's episode yesterday morning it looked like we were bouncing back only to have another drop yesterday afternoon before market close as reports of the first Omicron case in the US surfaced. As we're nearing the end of 2021, this may be a good time to look at selling losses for 2021 deductions and / or to recalibrate your portfolio for buying opportunities over the next couple weeks. For more, check out the investing basics miniseries.


[NOTE: These episodes are for information purposes only. I do not give investment or tax advice. Speak with a tax professional on tax matters and do your research on investments (and investment platforms) or speak with an investment professional before investing. Investing involves risk and any investing activity you engage in is at your own risk.]


Good luck to all the writers today!


Today is #pitmad, a quarterly event in which writers can pitch their work on twitter to attract the interest of literary agents or editors. I've participated in the past and it's a great way to make new connections and to plug into the #writingcommunity. Since I'm already represented I won't be participating but will be supporting some of my fellow writers on twitter.


Housekeeping and season wrap-up


I'm planning on two more episodes this month. Next week will be episode 366 and I'll be closing out the month and the season the following Thursday with a holiday special for episode 367. On that episode, I'll also announce my return for season 9, which will be sometime in late January.

Have a great rest of your week and always be moving forward.


Check out the Moving Forward mini-series collection

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