Last year, my New Years Resolution was to pay off the mortgage on my condo — which I did. It was sort of a bittersweet moment in that I forked over a hard-earned $55k for a property that was now only worth $35k, but it was either that or spend the next 11 years paying that plus another $25k in interest. Now it’s mine, and I can pocket the rent on it instead of forwarding it to the mortgage company. This also leaves me looking toward my last, final debt, which is the mortgage on my house. The house won’t be easy, but the quicker I can pay it off, the quicker I can move on to the financial independence chapter of my life.

This year, I want to spend some time on myself. I have gained 20 pounds over the last couple of years, partly due to less-than-good eating, and partly due to a sedentary lifestyle. I plan to alleviate this through diet and exercise. Walking a mile or more every day, plus sticking to a 1700 calorie diet should hopefully get me where I used to be, if I can follow through with it all year. I plan to use MyFitnessPal.com to keep me focused, and give me the quantitative data I so desperately desire.

In a way, I feel like this year I started becoming an everyday man. I don’t feel like a twenty-something special snowflake anymore; that honeymoon is over. Now I’m just your average Joe beergut wanting to lose weight this year while watching TV and eating Cheetos. These next ten years of my life are going to be that test everyone goes through, where they have to decide whether they’re going fall in line, be good consumers, and raise a family… or do something different with their lives. I’m not going to settle down just yet. I’m going to live a fantastic life, and I’m going to start by giving it the funding it needs. I want to travel the world, help others, learn new things, and relax with what makes me happy. I can do more of this with money, and I can get money by investing, and not being in debt up to my eyeballs.

I also have to remember where I came from, and how the decisions I made brought me to where I am now. When given the chance, I decided not to hang out with bad people. Not to do drugs. Not to let prostitutes in my car. Not to steal from businesses. Not to hold grudges. And especially, not to settle with being some everyday shemp. The downward spiral happens the minute you decide to do any of this, and it’s not going to happen this year, or ever.