Dear readers,

I am two months into my experimental fundraiser.

Would you consider making a gift? Please contact me, and we can discuss it – there are some projects which will flourish even with smaller contributions. You have no idea how much it will make someone’s day, including mine!

I’m learning so many things through this experience. One of them is determination… It is very, very easy to get discouraged when doing fundraising. Another is that sometimes the smaller the ask, the bigger the contribution – when you ask for very large sums, people think it’s impossible to reach, so they pass on it.

My upcoming 100-mile race this May is a metaphor. A lot of people think it’s impossible, at least for me. Maybe they are right. But there’s only one way to find out. And, like with the fundraiser, there will be a lot of unexpected challenges, no matter how well things are planned. But there will be high points as well.

I’m on a bit of a high point right now with the fundraiser. Could a dip be around the corner? Sure. Worse than the dips that have come before? Definitely. But maybe a higher point than I’ve hit before awaits beyond it. It’s not clear.

There is something certain though – if you don’t try something new, you won’t achieve anything particularly special. Status quo is for people who want to be “okay” and nothing more. Greatness is for the few who take calculated big risks.

In the new year, I will be launching a little vlog (more of a miniseries) on the virtue of magnificence – how to use large amounts of wealth well. Have you ever heard of anything like that? No.

Stay tuned… Much more to come.

-Eamonn