Have you ever wanted something so badly that you’ve said “I’d to ANYTHING to have that!“?

I have too, but unfortunately that statement rarely comes with any real teeth.  Mostly the wish rings hollow.  Once we find out what it really takes to get whatever it is we’re wishing for, we’re unwilling to put in the effort or make the sacrifice.

I’d do ANYTHING

Would you do anything to …

• Retire early!
• Reach financial independence!
• Never have to work again!
• Have six pack abs!
• Buy that house!
• Play in the NBA!
• Own that car!
• Take my family on that amazing vacation!
• Quit my job and become a full-time blogger!
• (insert your own fantasy here)

We’ve all heard people make the “I’d do anything” claim before.  Hell, we’ve probably all uttered the words ourselves at different times and for different reasons.

Talk Is Cheap

So why is it that our wishes usually go unfilled?  Is it just human nature?  Laziness?  Bad luck?

I have no idea.  And sometimes there really isn’t anything we can do about making our dream a reality; we’re knowingly wishing upon a star.  Take for example my dream of playing in the NBA despite the lack of everything required to play in the NBA.  Those types of things are fantasies, and they’re okay.

But for those ‘wishes’ that are feasible – there’s one personal quality or trait that we need to develop in order to make your dream a reality: tenacity.

Be Tenacious!

I define tenacity like this:

The ability to keep a resolution long after the mood in which you made it in has passed.

It’s easy to walk out of a motivational seminar and resolve to become a better person, fully believing that you’re about to turn over a new leaf.  It’s easy to read a blog post, get inspired and think ‘hell yeah! I’m going to save 50% of my income and retire early too!”

But life has a way of wearing down your resolve.  Before long (often a in a shockingly short amount of time) your resolve is gone, along with your motivation, and you’re back in the same old rut.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

You’re reading this blog so I assume you want to reach financial independence and retire early.  Are you willing to do anything to make that happen?

I *think* I’m willing to do what it takes.  Here are some bigger things I’ve done:

• Eliminated our second car about 18 months ago.
• I take the bus to work rain or shine (or rain. #Seattle) and walk two miles per day to/from the bus stop.
• We moved out of the million-dollar home we were renting and into a much less expensive home.
• We’ve saved money so that we can max out our ‘free money’ opportunities at work.
• We take day trips and staycations rather than taking amazing Pinterest-perfect family vacations.
• Instead of spending money on garbage, we significantly increased our savings rate.

The real question is, do I have the tenacity to keep grinding long enough to make my goal a reality?  I sure hope so.  So far, so good.  Ever since starting this journey about a two years ago I’ve wanted an early retirement far more than I’ve wanted any of those things.

In addition to ‘giving up’ the things listed above (which are all focused on saving money),  I’m also trying to turn this blog into a significant source of revenue.  If I’m honest, what I’d really like is for this site to make enough money to replace my current full-time income, which by the way is enough of an income to allow my family of six to thrive financially.

Getting this blog to make that kind of dough is no small task.  But it’s not an NBA-type of fantasy either.  This is a completely feasible goal.

“I’d do anything for my blog to generate that kind of dough!” – Ty, daily since January 2016.

Reality Bites

I say and think (often) that I’d do anything for this blog to make money – but would I really?  My actions paint a different picture:

• I don’t post frequently enough to generate a steady stream of readers.
• I’m not aggressively trying to build an email list so that I can reach out to my readers and invite them back to the blog (no pop-ups here – you’re welcome).
• I don’t spend time optimizing my SEO so that I can rank better when someone searches for a topic that I’ve written about.
• I never guest posted on another blog in an attempt to expose myself to new readers.
• I’ve never had a single guest post on my own blog, a great way to expand the message I’m preaching (anybody want to guest post?).
• I’ve not put in any time to try and figure out how to use Facebook.
• Pinterest is supposed to be an amazing way to generate new readers, but it’s a tough nut to crack. I’ve asked my wife to help me out, but I’ve been unwilling to spend time learning more about the site for myself.

Those 7 bullet points are what I could think of in about 30 seconds, I’m sure I could come up with about two dozen more if I spent a bit more time thinking about it.

• I don’t spend enough time thinking deeply about my posts before publishing them.

Obviously I’m NOT willing to “do anything” to have the type of blog that can generate enough revenue to replace my current income.  So guess what – this blog doesn’t generate much income at all, certainly not enough to replace my current income … Yet.

Keep Grinding

I’m not willing to throw in the towel quite so easily.  I might not have this site where I want it to be right now, but thankfully I’m not dependent upon this as a source of income, which allows me to approach this blog as a marathon rather than a sprint.

As long as I’m willing to identify obstacles that are currently preventing me from taking this blog to the next level, and then find solutions to overcome them, then I’m confident that I’ll get there in a quick’ish amount of time.

So, I’ve made the resolution: turn this blog into a money maker!  Now, do I have the tenacity to stick to it?  Or will I choose to go to bed early one night instead of working on my SEO?  Will I skip writing a new post because I just don’t feel like it right now?  Will I continue to keep this blog to myself, or will I begin reaching out to others that might want to guest post?

We shall see.

Chime In!

Do you have the ability to keep a resolution long after the mood in which it was made has passed?  Would you do anything to achieve your goals?  How far have you gone to make your dreams come true?