Hi.

Welcome to my new blog.

My name’s Erik, and as you can see by the date, today’s the first day of 2005. I believe in the calendars of most known civilizations, this is called, “The Year Erik Turns 30.”

Where does this historic year find Erik? Well, not exactly where he expected to be when he turned 20.

I spent my 20th birthday in Itacoatiara, a little town on the Amazon River. I felt like a real world-wise, street-savvy kid, with the future at his feet and every possibility in front of him.

Now, it’s ten years later. I’m in a job I’m not crazy about, I’m living paycheck to paycheck, don’t own a home, and have about $20,000 in debt. I’m about 60 pounds overweight and at least 40 pounds away from anything I’d consider a decent weight. I have an AA degree in a field that provides zero job security, but I’m a husband and father of two who can’t afford to spend a day without health insurance. And, of course, my knees are starting to act up.

I’ve been hearing a lot of interesting phrases this year. Phrases like, “The hand fate dealt me.” Phrases like, “My lot in life.” One guy referred to the financially secure as “People who got lucky in life’s lottery.”

So I’ve decided this going to be my year to test all of that. This year, I’m going to see whether hard work, determination, and spunk—all the things your Dad used to tell you made the difference—really do make the difference. Or, if my life is solely in the hands of fate.

I’m going to get out of debt. I’m going to get fit. I’m going to work towards doing things that make me happy instead of insane.

And best of all, I’m going to share the experience with you.

On this blog, you’ll get to experience the 365-day turnaround with me. I’ll share with you what works and what doesn’t. I’ll share with you what advice I discover to be true and what isn’t. You can learn from my mistakes, and profit from what I learn.

That twenty-year-old is still inside me, somewhere behind this belly and bad eyes. He still believes that the world is at his feet, that the future is his to reach out and take. This year, he wants to prove he’s right.

Because I’d really hate to spend the rest of my life coasting by, content with what I have, only to discover that with just a little effort I could have had oh, so much more.

So buckle up, kids. This is going to be quite a year.