👋 Welcome - Your Weekly Spark
Hey there,
This week is about something we don't talk about enough: the weight of unfinished things. As we head into the holidays, you're probably juggling family, travel, and year-end tasks, but underneath it all, there's that nagging feeling of clutter, digital chaos, and old goals you never quite released.
What if the best gift you could give yourself before 2026 isn't another resolution, but permission to let go? Let's make some space for what actually matters.
—Curt
🌟 Words to Inspire
"You can't reach for anything new if your hands are full of yesterday's projects."
As you build your second act, remember: clarity isn't about adding more—it's about releasing what no longer serves the person you're becoming. The space you create this week is the foundation you'll build on next year.
📖 Featured Story: Clear the Deck: Release What Was, Focus on What's Next
I'm looking at a folder on my desktop called "Business Ideas 2019." I haven't opened it in three years. It's taking up 47MB of space—and about 47 pounds of mental weight.
You probably have your own version. Maybe it's the stack of business books you swore you'd read. The half-finished online course. The email inbox with 8,427 unread messages. The storage unit you're paying $95 a month for but haven't visited since 2022.
Here's what I've learned after decades in finance and a year building something new: You can't build a "new" act while carrying the weight of "unfinished" acts.
This isn't about New Year's resolutions or regret. This is about operational and emotional decluttering so 2026 can start with clear focus and zero baggage.
The Hidden Weight of Unfinished Everything
Every unfinished thing in your life is an open loop pulling at your attention.
Physical clutter: file cabinets full of paper, unread books collecting dust, supplies for hobbies abandoned five years ago.
Digital clutter: 47 browser tabs open, forgotten subscriptions, duplicate files across three cloud services.
Mental clutter: old goals that no longer fit, unrealized dreams you haven't released, the constant whisper of "I should have..."
These aren't neutral items sitting there. They're active drains. Each one demands a tiny bit of mental bandwidth—not much individually, but collectively they're exhausting.
If your brain has 100 units of daily energy, how many are being used to "background process" that storage unit you haven't visited? The only way to stop the drain is to make a final decision: keep and use it, or release it completely.
The Sunk Cost Liberation
As a CPA, I spent decades helping people understand sunk costs. Here's the truth most people resist: the money is already gone.
That $2,000 course you never finished? The money is gone. You can't buy it back with guilt, and you can't earn it back by staring at it. The only thing you can lose now is more time.
Those 15 business books on your shelf? They're not investments—they're guilt you walk past daily. The time you spent on projects that went nowhere? That wasn't wasted. It was research about what you don't want.
Sunk costs aren't failures. They're tuition paid for clarity.
Here's what this means practically: The capital is spent. The time is gone. The only question that matters now is: Does this serve who you're becoming, or who you thought you'd be?
That's the reframe that changes everything. You're not giving up—you're strategically allocating resources toward what actually matters. Mourning sunk costs is just throwing good energy after bad.
The 30-Minute Power Menu
Don't do everything. Pick ONE item from this menu and give it 30 minutes of ruthless execution.
Email & Digital Liberation (Pick One):
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Unsubscribe from 20 newsletters you don't actually read
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Delete or bulk-archive emails older than two years
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Cancel three subscriptions you haven't used in 90 days
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Close all browser tabs and start fresh tomorrow
File & Document Purge (Pick One):
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Shred one box of financial documents older than seven years
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Delete digital files you haven't opened in two years
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Empty your Downloads folder completely
Physical Cleanup (Pick One):
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Fill one bag with books to donate
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Toss supplies for one abandoned hobby
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Cancel one unused membership
The goal: 30 minutes. One item. Complete it.
What this creates: mental clarity, financial breathing room, emotional freedom, and operational space for what you're actually building.
This IS the Work
Here's what most people miss: this clearing work isn't preparation for your second-act business. This IS the work of 2026.
You can't build a consulting practice while maintaining the clutter of who you didn't become. You can't launch a coaching business while carrying guilt about the entrepreneur you weren't. Every cleared subscription, deleted file, and released goal creates bandwidth for focused action.
Strategic life changes require strategic space. The clearing isn't separate from the building—it's the foundation.
Your Move This Week
2026 doesn't need a resolution. It needs a clear desk, a clean inbox, and a mind free from guilt about what didn't happen.
Before December 31st, give yourself that gift. Pick one item from the menu above. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Clear it completely.
You're not cleaning up. You're making space for what's coming.
The sunk cost is already gone. The only capital you control is today's attention and tomorrow's choices. Use them wisely.
From My Desk:
I've been doing this exact work all month—and I won't lie, it felt overwhelming at first. But I put on some uplifting Christmas music, set my timer, and just started deleting. Files from 2015. Subscriptions I forgot existed. Old business plans that no longer fit.
And something shifted. Each cleared folder felt lighter. Each canceled subscription felt freeing. By the time I was done with my first session, I wasn't dreading the next one—I was looking forward to it.
That feeling of space, of clarity, of forward motion? That's what I want for you before 2026 arrives.
⚡ Your Quick Action Step
This Week's Challenge: Write Your "Permission to Quit" List
Here's something nobody talks about: quitting an old goal isn't failure. It's an upgrade of focus.
Before this week ends, grab a piece of paper (or open a note on your phone) and write down three goals, dreams, or projects you're officially releasing. Not because you failed. Not because you couldn't do them. But because they no longer fit who you're becoming.
Examples might include:
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"I'm releasing the dream of becoming a real estate investor"
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"I'm done pretending I'll finish that certification program"
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"I'm letting go of the idea that I need to master video editing"
- For me - I deleted courses I wanted to take but they don't make sense at this point in my life; I deleted Udemy courses I bought and never started; I bulk deleted wherever I could!
Success looks like: A shift from "I failed at this" to "I'm choosing to focus elsewhere." That's not giving up—that's strategic clarity. Write your list. Feel the weight lift. Create space for what you're actually building.
🎬 That's a Wrap
I hope this week's newsletter gave you permission to stop carrying things that no longer serve you. 2026 doesn't need another resolution—it needs you showing up with a clear mind and focused energy.
Pick one thing from the Power Menu. Spend 30 minutes. Make space for what matters.
And if you're listening to Holiday music while you delete old files? Even better.
That's exactly how strategic life changes should feel—like unwrapping the gift of clarity.
Keep building what matters,
Curt
💡 How We Can Help
Building your second act doesn't have to be complicated. Here are the resources available to you:
🚀 FREE Retirepreneur Hub
Complete resource library with step-by-step guides and frameworks designed specifically for professionals 55+. Access business templates, pricing guides, and startup checklists—no credit card required.
🛠 Business Tools & Resources
Curated tools that actually work—vetted by daily use. Honest assessments of platforms, software, and services with exclusive partnership benefits for Retirepreneur members.
🌐 Retirepreneur.com
Explore weekly blog articles, podcast episodes, comprehensive guides, and more resources for building your expertise-based business.
📮 Know Someone Building Their Second Act?
Know someone who needs permission to let go and make space for what's next? Forward this newsletter their way—it might be exactly what they need to hear this week.
