“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

-Benjamin Franklin

I learned a lot this year. I made a video in January about my 2019 resolution, and I basically said I just wanted to slow down.

I wanted to live more.

For the most part, I succeeded, however as I pulled out one weed from my life, I found another five.

I’m 26, and I learned five things this year that I think can help anyone who wants to have a better 2020.

Earlier this year all I wanted to do was live by myself in my apartment in Manila. Now I’m seriously considering bringing on a few friends to live with me.

For this introvert, that is a massive step. I love no noise. I love the seclusion. However, I realized that while stillness gives life comfort, people give life flavor.

While making plans with friends can be a huge energy-suck, 95% of the time it’s worth it.

I have a hard time with boundaries. I sacrifice my own comfort for the comfort of others way too often, and next year I’ll be cutting back on that.

This is your life. If you have a disagreement with someone and cave to their demands, the other person is not going to feel the discomfort you bear.

You have to bear that. It could be for an hour. It could be for days.

Don’t do this to yourself. Set your boundaries and stick to them and finally don’t pay any mind to whether this makes people, not like you.

The right people for you will respect your boundaries.

Living in the Philippines has taught me the true value of family. Family is everything to these people. I spent the majority of this year away from my parents and siblings.

This really hurt me, actually.

As I write this in December, one of the regrets I have from this year is that I didn’t see my family much.

The truth is entire years can float by quick and if you don’t notice them, you’ll all of a sudden start finding gray in your parent’s hair. More gray than you want.

And then you’ll realize that you let that time slip. That valuable time. That truly precious time that everyone warns you you’ll lose when you’re younger. You’re too caught up in the future to pay attention, though.

Go see your family.

I’ve gotten caught up in retirement planning this year. I send hundreds to my new IRA each month, and I’ve put tens of thousands of dollars toward my student loans in 2019.

I had this weird goal that I needed to pay off my student loans by March of 2020. I’m on target, mind you, but at what cost?

All my profits go straight towards my loans. I hardly buy anything for myself even though I’m on the verge of making 6 figures this year.

Does it matter if I pay off my loans by March of 2020 compared to March of 2021? Ehh, not really if you think of it in the grand scheme of my life.

I debated buying a plane ticket home for Christmas, but ultimately decided against it because it would push my student loan payoff back a month or two.

That’s a really stupid decision. Who cares if I pay off my loans in April as opposed to March? I get to see my family, damn it.

So remember this: it’s okay to have big financial goals for yourself, but don’t forget to live. That’s what we’re here for, anyway.

Speaking of living, buy the damn trip to Europe, or Africa, or Iceland, or South America, or Southeast Asia, or wherever the hell you want to go.

That is all.