Wow, what a year 2025 has been for me! In a few months, I’ll be wrapping up my 35th year of self-employment as a photographer and videographer. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m not done yet!

When I moved to Arizona almost seven years ago from Peoria, Illinois, I didn’t seek out any new local clients here in Arizona. I was thinking that it would be a semi-retirement for me, and the clients that I worked with in Peoria would find other local people to work with, and the amount of work I was doing would become less and less.  I would just ride off into the sunset, so to speak, and enjoy my retirement. 

I was wrong!  2025 was probably one of my busiest years ever, and I did photoshoots in 10 states and put 37,379 miles on the rental cars, and I’m sure that those rental car companies love me!  I’m incredibly blessed because I’m still working because I want to and not because I have to! That is a great feeling.  I still enjoy what I do, and more importantly, the people that I’m working with, and that to me is everything!

So what’s the moral of the story? 

Find a job or a career that you enjoy and is rewarding! Look forward to going into work each and every day because, as my dad told us when we were young, “You’ll spend more of your day working than doing anything else, so find a job that makes you happy!”

Save your money when you are younger and max out your retirement account because you never know in this world when your company might cut you loose, and I can tell you if you’re out there looking for work and you’re over 50 years old, it’s damn hard to find a job that is as good as the one that you currently have!

Let’s all have a great 2026, and the party’s not over just yet for this old dog!!!