The 5 Essential Factors for Financial Freedom – Part 5: Time
When I first started in entrepreneurship, I honestly thought I’d be making a lot of money within just a few months—maybe a year. I had this idea that success would come quickly. And that’s because you see other people winning all the time. You see people online, successful and wealthy, and it’s easy to believe that it should be that quick for you too.
But what you don’t see are the nights they wanted to quit. The months they made no money. The years it took for things to actually click.
It took me a long time before I started making real money. And now, looking back, I realize it wasn’t about the money at all—it was about building patience. Because I’ve seen it in so many others who’ve quit the journey: success was just around the corner, but they didn’t hold on long enough to reach it.
For me, I’ve experienced it firsthand. Every single time I was about to quit, something huge happened shortly after. Last August, I was ready to quit YouTube. I was angry. I even went on a livestream and said I wasn’t doing this anymore. But two weeks later, I changed my mind. I pushed through. And when I came back, everything started to pick up. September was great. October was even better. November ended up being the highest-income month I’ve ever had on YouTube. And it’s only grown since then. That wouldn’t have happened if I had quit.
That same thing happened in my finance agency. When it felt like everything was crumbling, I kept showing up. And shortly after, things exploded. That’s the thing—wealth doesn’t arrive on your timeline. You can’t predict it. But it will come. The question is: will you stay long enough?
As Naval Ravikant says in The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, “Play long-term games with long-term people.” That includes the game of wealth. Time is the ultimate leverage—because compounding results only happen with consistency and longevity.
What Helped Me Stay Patient
I think about this in a few ways. First, during those slow seasons, I just kept doing what I was trained to do. I kept showing up to training calls, reading books, watching videos, talking to mentors. I distracted my mind from the frustration of not seeing success by immersing myself in what I could control—my learning, my input, my growth. As Naval puts it, "Be impatient with actions, but patient with results." That mindset helped me reframe everything.
Second, I realized people don’t stay in something for the success—they stay for the progress. That’s something I always tell my agents and content creators. If you’re leading people—especially in a volunteer army where they don’t work directly for you—you have to show them their progress. They’re not just staying for the income or the results. They stay because they’re growing.
If they can’t feel the growth, they quit. So I do everything in my power to help them recognize the development they’re experiencing—even when they’re not making money. Maybe they’ve improved their communication, built better routines, or learned new skills. That’s still success. That’s progress.
Which brings me to this: intangible success equals progress.
We talk so much about tangible success—income, followers, recognition—but what about the wins we can’t see? What about the intangible victories?
You finally started waking up on time every day.
You finished a book you’ve been procrastinating on.
You invested in a mentor or course for the first time.
You showed up every day, even when it was hard.
Those are powerful. And they count. And when you start stacking those, you build momentum. You build belief. You grow your identity. That’s what makes you stay.
Why Most People Don’t Stay Long Enough
There are two reasons.
First, some people just expect quick returns. They want fast money, fast success, fast everything. And if that’s you, honestly, you’re probably not even reading this blog. That mindset won’t last.
But the second reason is deeper—and it’s the one I see most often. People start with a small vision. They don’t have anything big they’re aiming for, so they quit early. If your goal is something like, “I just want to make six figures in the next year or two,” you’ll probably give up before you get there. Why? Because that vision is too close to your current comfort zone. You assume the time it takes to get there will also be short. But success takes time.
When I started my finance agency, I didn’t just aim to make money. I had massive visions.
I wanted to build a $10 million company.
I wanted to launch three worldwide non-profits.
I wanted partnerships with every major university.
I wanted to help 7,500 families a year.
I wanted to make $2.5 million in income annually.
I wanted to take a full year off to travel and study in Australia.
These weren’t short-term goals. They were visions—so massive I couldn’t even see the full path yet. And because they were so big, I had no choice but to commit long-term. There’s no such thing as “quitting too early” when your vision is twenty years away.
Same with my YouTube channel. I’m aiming for 3 million subscribers. That’s not happening in a year. Maybe not even five. But that’s okay. Because I’m not building for the short term. I’m building for my vision.
How I Keep My Vision Alive
Number one—I tell everyone. My business partners, my team, my leaders, my clients, my mentors. My visions are on my website, my social media bios, my taglines. When I log into Reddit, it says “One day I will have 3 million subscribers.” I see it every day. I’m surrounded by it.
Number two—I use trackers. I’ve got my Life Accelerator. My habit tracker. Every time I check off a task, I’m reminded of the big vision. Even if I don’t hit a monthly goal, I can see the daily habits stacking up toward my dream. And that keeps me going.
Number three—I’ve trained myself to accept that I’m going to want to quit. A lot. But quitting doesn’t mean failure. It just means it’s hard—and that’s okay. The same way I used to want to quit jobs that weren’t fulfilling, I sometimes feel like quitting this journey too. But I remind myself that I’ll probably hit those walls again and again and again. And if I want a $10 million business, if I want 3 million subscribers, if I want to impact the world—those moments of frustration are part of the deal.
What I Share With My Team
When I lead my agents and content creators, I don’t just talk about the wins. I talk about the no’s. The rejections. The setbacks. Because they see my success every day—they’re close to me. They see the highlight reel. But I make sure they see the hard stuff too. In our strategy sessions, in our one-on-ones, in my blogs, my YouTube videos—I share it all. The grind. The journey. The truth.
They need to know this isn’t easy. But it’s worth it. And when they see me push through those moments, they believe they can too.
What You Can Do Now
If you’re struggling with patience, try this:
Create a massive vision. Something so big, you don’t even know how to achieve it yet. That’s how you know it’s worth it.
Write down your progress. Keep a list of your intangible successes. See the growth. Track it.
Surround yourself with your vision. Tell everyone. Put it in your trackers. Put it in your bios. Let your life reflect what you’re working toward.
Stay close to the people and processes that build you. Stay in the rooms, on the calls, in the systems that push you to grow—even when success feels far away.
If you haven’t read the rest of this series, go back to Parts 1 through 4—Specific Knowledge, Accountability, Equity, and Leverage. They’ll reshape how you think about wealth forever.
But only if you give it the time it deserves.
Want more insight and resources? Visit ReforgedHQ.com and keep building your future.
