Here's the part they don't tell you and what my wife had to endure. She started out making great money out of college while I was a broker slanging deals in a town I was brand new to... dialing for dollars.

Guys trying to impress her and girlfriends looking to give her "advice" https://twitter.com/sweatystartup/status/1345873639405744129

regularly questioned, why are you with that guy making "no money." How can you stand supporting him, etc.

That first year I made like 28k and will likely never work that hard again. 50-100 cold calls a day, canvassing buildings, reading all I could to learn in off hours.

GF at the time, now wife understood the upside, the vision, and the freedom that could come from building a career in real estate if you're successful and she was willing to bet on me as the jockey. No pressure.

While her friends were out partying and living in expensive

apartments, we were saving what we could, cooking all our meals, and limiting drinks out to 1 or 2 specials.

Fast forward 3 years:
"wow what a wedding ring"
"how'd you afford this house"
"that seems like a beautiful vacation"

the peanut gallery quieted down suddenly, but they

all missed the crown jewel(s), which weren't experiences / things we could now afford. It was the development of a skillset and ability to create for yourself, an enduring combination that can last a lifetime. Actual freedom.