Consistency Is My Superpower

What if you could be a superhero? You’d have your own legion of fans, blockbuster movies manufactured to tell of your exploits and conventions designed to showcase your awesomeness.

Well, what if I told you that you could be a superhero – of sorts. You don’t need to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but you do need to accomplish positively superhuman tasks.

I’m aiming for financial independence by 40 years old. You might say this is a bit of a superhuman goal, seeing as how most people at 40 are just entering the peak of their career, staring down another two decades or so of labor as they’re hampered by debt and their own lifestyle. Instead of working through my 40s, 50s and 60s I want to focus on activities that bring value to my life – spending time with family, traveling, writing, managing investments and relaxing. You don’t need to be Superman to live a truly super life.

Accomplishing financial independence at such a young age isn’t easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. If you want to accomplish financial independence at an early age in life it will help to have a superpower or two. And I’ll share with you readers what I believe my own personal superpower is: consistency.

You see, it’s easy to understand how to live below your means. It’s easy to formulate a long-term plan that involves you saving a significant portion of your income and investing the difference. You can read a couple of books and have that eureka moment that truly changes your life. I know I did back in early 2010 as I realized that I didn’t want to be less than broke forever.

However, while it’s easy to understand how to become financially independent at a young age, it’s significantly more difficult to actually perform the steps necessary to reach such a lofty goal in a consistent enough manner to make a difference. And that’s really where the superheros are separated from those that sit back and watch: consistency in action.

Much like it’s relatively easy to know how to lose weight – hint: you must take in less calories than you burn – it’s much more difficult to consistently apply the steps necessary whereby you eat food you may not like and exercise.

I realized at 27 years old that I wanted something truly different out of my life. I didn’t want the standard 9-5 ’till 65 death sentence with the 2,200 square foot house with a 2.2 car garage where I park my three-year-old commuter car that whisks me 40 miles down the road to my job. Early on, it was fun to make the changes. I started this blog shortly after initiating my taxable investment account. I sold my car in early 2011 and decided to live without a car in a city not designed with public transportation in mind. I moved to a cheaper apartment located on the bus line. I cut my food bill dramatically, albeit not necessarily with my long-term health in mind. I started taking all of my excess capital and rapidly built a Freedom Fund into what is now a six-figure powerhouse of a portfolio filled with equity stakes in 43 high quality companies.

But after all of the excitement of change, something unfortunate tends to creep in: impatience. Once you set a long-term goal that requires years and years of hard work it’s easy to get depressed seeing seemingly small steps of progress taking shape when you’re looking at things through the lens of day-to-day life. Like the weight loss example I used above, it might be difficult to stick to a long-term weight loss plan if your goal is to lose 50 pounds, but after the initial kick of of changes propels you to a quick 10 pound loss, you’re then stuck staring at a scale that barely moves week after week.

But this is where you need your superpower(s) to kick in. And I was born with an incredible sense of determination once I put my mind to something. I try to take consistency to another level because I believe that it’s pretty much my only advantage. I didn’t start this journey off with a bunch of money, but rather I was worth less at 27 than I was as a baby. The only major financial help I got in my early 20s was completely blown during a stretch of time in my life when I dealt with the death of my mother, the once-more disappearance of my father and a failed college career. I don’t have any other advantages over anyone else – I certainly don’t make a big six-figure income, I wasn’t born with incredibly good looks and my intelligence is average. So consistency is my lone superpower. And I leverage it as much as I possibly can.

And after all of those initial dramatic and exciting changes in my life, I’m here in the thick of the day-to-day battles as I fight my way out of the cave and toward freedom. And how am I doing? Well, I’m still saving well over half my net income, and I’m on pace (barely) to meet my 2013 net savings goal of 60%. This would be my highest annual savings rate ever. It might be easy to stop saving so much and buy cool stuff. Hell, I could go out and buy a brand new Scion FR-S and still have six figures in the bank. Yet, instead I recently purchased a gold 2006 Toyota Corolla – and this was an upgrade for me; an upgrade I made only because the price was too cheap to ignore. I’m still investing as much of my excess free cash flow as I possibly can as I continue to maximize the value of my capital by investing in high quality companies at attractive prices. In fact, I just recently posted the 60th stock purchase article here on Dividend Mantra.

The great thing is that consistency isn’t some proprietary skill. I don’t have a patent on it. You can exude even more determination than I do if you really want to. You can be your own superhero. And while you may not have movies made about you, you’ll one day have the time and resources available to make your own if you have such an interest. Don’t get lost in your own journey, and don’t let early victories cloud your judgement. Be true to who you are and what you really want out of life. Attaining financial independence isn’t easy, and it won’t happen overnight. It’s easy to quit because success is still so far down the road. But remember why you started walking the path in the first place. Do you want freedom or do you want someone else to own your time?

Consistency is my superpower. What’s yours? 

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: ddpavumba/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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57 Comments

  1. That’s an interesting angle Jason. Consistency also has a HUGE (and positive) impact on a portfolio. A few years of significantly negative returns can crush a portfolio. My power (maybe not so super) is dedication. I am dedicated to my research. I’m dedicated to living the life I want to live with the loved ones I want to see. It’s coming together….slower than I’d like…..but hey, progress is progress.
    -Bryan

  2. My super power would be laziness. Dividends are so passive and easy. I’m sure if I had the energy and focus, I could start a web marketing business and bring in a lot more money, but dividends give the freedom to do whatever I want while these quality companies work for me. It’s that laziness that motivates me to save my excess cash and invest.

  3. Consistency is the weapon of choice for all those who have experienced success.

    As for you Jason, it takes a lot of work and energy to get to where you are today, and maintaining focus for a few months is unimpressive, but for years, is a feat to be admired.

  4. Fast Weekly,

    Dedication is a big superpower. It’s along the same lines of consistency. You need to have an intense amount of dedication to be consistent on something for years on end.

    I hear you on the progress being slower than you’d like. It’s the same for me. I wish I was financially independent today. I’d love to sleep in a little – 6 a.m. is way too early!

    But hard work lays ahead. However, so does a huge reward!

    Best wishes.

  5. Jason,

    Very timely post! My daughter turned 16 yesterday. I emailed this to her moments ago indicating this is one of her birthday presents. 🙂

    I sincerely hope your message sinks in. Sometimes your own kids pay more attention to your message when it comes from someone else!!

    Cheers.

    Chuck in Ontario

  6. BuySmart,

    Haha. I can dig that. I think a certain part of me can completely identify with what you’re talking about. One of my biggest motivators right now is to be able to sleep in. I absolutely despise waking up so early in the morning. I’d love to be able to stay up until about 2 am and wake up somewhere around 10 or so. I hate having to go to sleep at 10 pm.

    I always wanted to get around to reading some of Tom Hodgkinson’s stuff.

    To laziness and idleness!

    Take care.

  7. w2r,

    I agree. Consistency is indeed a very powerful weapon.

    Warren Buffett is a good example. He wasn’t born rich. He worked at it from a small boy and is still working hard at it all these years later. He applied himself to the best of his ability for his entire life. Really inspiring stuff.

    Thanks for the support. Much appreciated.

    Cheers!

  8. Chuck,

    The fact that you passed this along to your daughter is the ultimate compliment. Thank you so much.

    I hope she reads it, and I hope even more so that she gets something from it. Even if she applies 1% of what I’m talking about here she’ll be better off for it.

    Best wishes!

  9. My superpower is rationalization. I’m good at things like making up good reasons why people could be driving funny and figuring out how two opposite-seeming facts could both be true.

    I just found out my mom’s superpower is healing fast. Awesome! A friend of mine swears her superpower is invisibility–she has real trouble getting people’s attention in stores for some reason.

  10. I came across your blog recently, through some other like-minded site (I think Mr Money Mustache if i recall correctly). I’d like to pay you the compliment of pointing out two additional truly unique super-powers you possess: Perspective and Voice. Like Neo in the Matrix, its rare to find someone who can see the world’s underlying nature, and choose a different path. And it is even more rare to find people who have the willingness, humility and generosity to share so transparently about themselves to strangers. Your 1.8M page views is testimony to the power of your Voice, and the influence you have on readers such as myself.

    I’m personally very thankful for super-heroes like yourself, to help combat the villains in the mainstream media trying to perpetuate the status quo of panic, anxiety and reaction-ism (CNBC, I’m looking at you)

  11. “a 2.2 car garage…” that gave me a good giggle! I didn’t know garages came in fractional sizes =). Consistency is definitely a superpower. I think my personal superpower is a lack of want for material objects. The other day my wife was joking around and gave me a great complement when she said that I wouldn’t know what to do if I won the lottery.

  12. DM,

    Great article. Like you, I realized at 27 that slaving away everyday for my existence wasn’t very fulfilling… I wanted something better. My superpower would be an intense desire to be freedom. I want it so much that I’m doing everything that I can to get there by 30.

    Thanks for all the continued motivation, inspiration. We’ll get to FI soon enough!

    Take care.

  13. Another great article, my superpower is the same as Debbie J’s, rationalisation. I have rationalised that its pretty stupid to be miserable in a job for 5 days a week, with very little or no control over your time for those 5 days. The real stupidity, in my opinion, then comes when you blow all your spare cash in the other two days in order to blot out the miserable 5 days. This destroys your ability to actually save, invest and accumulate to allow you to control your time 24/7 from a much earlier age (sadly my superpower didn’t become apparent until I was around 40 so won’t be retiring as early as I could have.

    Keep up the great posts Jason

  14. DM,
    Although I enjoyed the article, I really don’t agree that it is consistency. Determination – yes, but consistency – no. Consistency implies that you continue to do things the same without learning, growing, adapting. That just doesn’t come across it what I read here.

    Good luck!
    Roger H

    By the way -do you do any year end tax loss harvesting?

  15. You have acquired good skills that is so rare to find! Your story reminds me of the book ‘The Millionaire Next Door’! Very inspiring story – when I read your Corolla story, I knew you are a blogger to watch! Someone with similar tastes as myself!

  16. I’m pretty good with being consistent too. Whether it’s working out or losing weight, we need a sustainable program that we can be consistent with. That’s why I don’t like exercise programs that try to bulk you up. Sure, it’s doable, but it’s unsustainable in the long run. Great job so far and keep up the good work next year!

  17. Consistency is a big factor and definitely a “super power”. I know I’ve gotten impatient at times with the process, I just want to skip to the end result, but being able to maintain focus month in month out is huge.

  18. Oh great!!! I hope she doesn’t scroll down the page to read all the comments. 🙂

    This is just one of her gifts. One of her other gifts is a deal wherein she uses her part-time employment income to invest in good solid companies and we’ll match her investment.

  19. mr arm-chair,

    Hey, glad you found the blog! MMM was kind enough to let me publish a guest post over at his blog a while back. Pete’s a great guy!

    Thanks for the wonderful comment. It’s funny you mention Neo. I actually said something to that effect last summer after briefly taking a break from blogging due to the time consuming nature of it. I felt like before I took my break I was genuinely working hard toward a goal and wanted to acheive FI, but after stepping back for a few weeks I felt like Neo where I seen the world in a new way. It was like I could see all of my decisions playing out in front of me – good decisions leading to wealth and freedom, and bad decisions leading to wage slavery and unhappiness. Since that moment I’ve been more determined than ever.

    Thanks for the support. I really appreciate readers like yourself. I couldn’t spread the message without you.

    Best wishes.

  20. AA,

    Absolutely – great point there. All of the traits we talk about in regards to reaching financial independence at a very young age are also wonderful traits to have in more broad terms. If you’re a hard working person with a ton of determination and consistency you’re probably going to lead a very good life and have lots of success no matter what you do. It’s kind of like you’ll end up wealthy no matter what because you’re intrinsically driven to build wealth…even if it’s by accident and not on purpose. I remember reading that Warren Buffett was confident he was going to be rich when he was very young because he just had an incredible drive to accumulate wealth. He was just driven and he knew that the only possible outcome was that he was going to have a lot of money one day.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Take care.

  21. Spoonman,

    Yeah, that was a play on the 2.2 children you see a lot when census reports come out about U.S. average-sized families. It was a little tongue-in-cheek. It’s all about looking at averages and fitting in. I guess I’m a round peg that was born into a society full of square holes.

    I’m with you on the lottery thing. There was a story just yesterday about a man giving away his lottery winnings. I didn’t go any further than the headline, but it sounds like he did the right thing. I can be completely honest when I say if I won the lottery – I mean a mega-million type lottery – I would just end up giving most of it away. I’d probably try to set up some kind of fund that would just donate money in perpetuity.

    For instance, I was looking at pictures of Michael Jordan’s house in Illinois that’s for sale. The thing is insane. It’s something like 50,000 square feet? I don’t care how much money I have I would feel sick to my stomach with that much space. It’s just a complete waste. I actually feel more comfortable in small spaces. In fact, one reason I prefer renting over buying is because houses are typically just too big for me. I feel really out of place in a big space. I end up feeling small and insignificant. In a small space I feel like I can think. Just me, I suppose.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Cheers!

  22. FI Fighter,

    You’ll have to tell me what freedom is like at 30! That’s really awesome. I think you’re going to beat me by about a decade. 🙂

    I’m with you on that intense desire. It’s something I think about pretty much all day, every day. I guess you could say I’m obsessed, but what could possibly be more worth obsessing over than complete autonomy? 🙂

    Best regards.

  23. FI UK,

    I’m with you 100% I also think it’s pretty dumb to spend so much of your life at the whims of someone else. There’s a lot of people out there who say “they love their job”. Now maybe some of these people may genuinely enjoy what they do. But no matter what, you’re still clocking in and clocking out when someone else tells you too. You’re eating lunch when someone else tells you too and you’re working on projects they tell you to work on – even projects you may really enjoy.

    Unless you own your own business or you own a collection of businesses (like we do) you’re ultimately someone’s lackey. That’s just the way it is. And why would you want to spend a majority of your life like that? I want to own all of my time and do whatever the hell I want. If that means waking up at noon, so be it. If I want to take a year and travel the world then that’s what I’ll do. If I want to take six months off from everything and write a book then that option is completely open to me. I’ll never understand the people that argue against the pursuit of financial independence in the name of “loving their job”. How anyone could want to turn down freedom based on the idea that they’re somehow lucky to wait on someone else is crazy to me.

    Best wishes!

  24. Roger H,

    Hmm, good point there. I didn’t think about it like that. I guess you could say that I’m not totally consistent in that specific regard. I think my writing has improved, as has my ability to research investments and manage a growing portfolio. I’m certainly learning as I go, and I still have so much yet to learn.

    Great point there! 🙂

    Best regards.

  25. Roger H,

    Whoops. Forgot to address your question.

    I don’t engage in tax loss harvesting. I thought about doing so with DLR, but I just can’t predict where things are going and my positions aren’t big enough to really make that big of a difference anyhow. If we were talking about $10k swings or something I could see the benefit of jumping in and out for tax purposes.

    Best regards.

  26. moneycone,

    Thanks!

    Yeah, TMND is a real eye-opener. Many of these millionaires are driving around basic, regular cars like the Corolla – not Ferraris and stuff. How do you think they got rich in the first place?

    It’s funny how society has all of these misconceptions about millionaires like they’re some secret society that sips champagne out of gold plated glasses when the majority are really regular folks that worked hard and lived below their means all their life.

    Thanks for the support. I’m glad we have similar tastes! I miss my little scooter, but the Corolla is a lot safer, and plus it’s nice to have a roof over my head when it’s raining.

    Cheers!

  27. Joe,

    I’m with you. I also like sustainable plans. Just like losing weight, you need a plan that’s realistic. Starving yourself and working out for four hours per day is just unsustainable and unhealthy. Rather, taking in a couple hundred calories less than you burn and hitting the gym 3 times per week is healthy, sustainable and easy to be consistent with.

    Although I’m not eating ramen noodles for lunch or riding my bike home anymore, I’m still saving a very healthy amount of my net income and investing for the future.

    Best wishes!

  28. Pursuit,

    I know how you feel. It’s tough sometimes to stick with it when the end is still so far away. But I know that, in the end, freedom is worth the effort. 🙂

    Best regards.

  29. Pay off my rentals,

    Thanks for stopping by!

    It’s definitely all about pressing on. The things in life most worth having are also most worth working hard for. And we work extremely hard! 🙂

    Take care.

  30. You claim to have average intelligence, so perhaps another superpower you possess is humility? From wikipedia, humility “is variously seen as the act or posture of lowering one self in relation to others, or conversely, having a clear perspective, and therefore respect, for one’s place in context”.

    I would venture to suggest that you have above-average intelligence! You’re story and blog have been sources of inspiration and information for so many others. And, this is yet another “smart” post, communicating a simple idea in a very unique way. Keep on being so consistent! 🙂

  31. Your goal is achievable by so many, yet so many people don’t realize it. I got a very late start in life saving like you, and while I have close to $80,000 in investments in a little over 4 years, I’m trying. It’s hard and I’ll be working part time in retirement – but by choice. What makes it harder is other people, those who don’t think of saving anything. They can be so mean, almost to the point of being a bully. Yes, I wash baggies, purchase things I need at tag sales or thrift stores, and I’ve decided not to ‘mail’ holiday cards. I’ve had some close family members and recently a few co-workers who call me cheap in front of others to the point where they make me look like a fool for saving like I do. I’ve also decided to skip the office holiday party because of a few who make it a point to tell people I’m cheap. I’ve never pointed out their spending or lack of saving or bragged about what I save or spend. I bring my own lunch, don’t go out to eat, reuse water bottles, avoid shopping and take stay at home vacations to save money. I’ve started to ignore those people in hopes they’ll leave me alone but it’s hard when I need to deal with them at work.

    It’s hurtful. How do you deal with people who try to put you down for not living like them.

  32. FerdiS,

    Thanks! I appreciate what you’re saying there. I’d say I’m a humble person because I came from humble beginnings. Growing up on the east side of Detroit in a house that was eventually raided by the police as a drug house gives you a lot of perspective. I’m lucky to be where I’m at, to be honest. I’m glad I was adopted and removed from a cancerous home. And I’m glad that I was born with the internal drive to better myself.

    I’m really glad that this blog serves as inspiration for others out there. I’m just a regular guy, and I want to show others that if I can do it then they certainly can as well. Other than incredible will – which leads to remarkable consistency – I’m nothing special. But in realizing that I’m nothing special and staying determined to work hard and improve myself is where I actually become quite special. It’s funny how that works out!

    Thanks again for the kind words and support.

    Best regards!

  33. D-S,

    Arnold has his detractors, but you can’t say he didn’t work incredibly hard to put himself in the position to where he could succeed. When I was younger I was a competitive bodybuilder. I would spend hours in the gym, and of course I read quite a bit about Arnold. He came from pretty humble beginnings, but he had this incredible drive inside of him. And he leveraged that into success at every level of his life. It’s really a testament to hard work and determination. Sure, he had great genes that allowed him to build muscle better than others. But just as well he could have just been the neighborhood freak. He succeeded because he wanted to, and he worked harder than everyone else.

    Best wishes.

  34. Anonymous,

    Don’t fret. You’re making progress, and that’s what counts. 🙂

    I wouldn’t worry about what others think. Believe me, I wasn’t popular when I started showing up to work (at a car dealership) on a scooter. People looked at me funny when I would walk to the bus stop when it was raining outside. Or when I was heating up my ramen noodles in the microwave (while everyone else was eating 12″ subs or double cheeseburgers and 40 oz. sodas). I’m living a bit more normally now, but more because of circumstances around me more than my desire to live less frugally. Living frugally is power, and people are afraid of power. Empower yourself and rise above everyone else.

    Just remember who’s laughing last, and who’s laughing all the way to the bank.

    Best regards!

  35. There’s a saying of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    Although it relates to the sport, here is also valid:

    The will is stronger than your body!

    If you have a target, a goal – you HAVE TO reach the goal!
    You can reach everything, but: You have to belive!

    Best regards!
    D-S

  36. It’s too bad you and I share in common what most consider destitute. I mean it’s the American way to live in debt it seems. Sad really.

  37. Captain,

    Cooking them on the stove is no doubt better, and healthier…but I didn’t have a choice because I was cooking mine at work for lunch. I remember those days fondly, but I’m in a better place with my diet these days. The great thing is that I know I could survive on very little if I had to, because I’ve done it before. 🙂

    Best wishes.

  38. Jailbird,

    Well the U.S. poverty threshold for one person is right about $12k per year right now, and I’m not spending a lot more than that on a yearly basis right now. So while some people might look at my lifestyle as “destitute”, I’ll one day have the ultimate necessity all to myself: time.

    Cheers!

  39. I wish I found your blog 20 years ago 🙂

    I could avoid many mistakes in my life and career and retire 20 years ago 🙂 🙂

    Great review and hopefully now I will be able to follow your lead and get there (out of the rat race) as fast as possible.

  40. Martin,

    Thanks for the kind words!

    I can only say I wish I knew what I know today 10 or so years ago. I’ve also made my fair share of mistakes. The key is to learn from your mistakes and overcome them. That’s where we really shine! 🙂

    Let’s keep fighting our way out of the rat race. We’ll get out one day, I promise.

    Best regards.

  41. Jason,

    This is a very inspirational site.

    There is a lot of evidence that consistency is indeed the key to mastery and success. Plus it let’s me share one of my favorite quotes of all time:

    Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
    Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
    Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
    Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts.
    Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
    -Calvin Coolidge

    Keep up the great work! And thank you for sharing.
    Steve

  42. Steve,

    Thanks for sharing that quote. I think it’s a fantastic way to look at the world. There have been many cases where people of average intellect attain massive success in life due to persistence and effort. Likewise, you’ll find cases of very intelligent people that never see such success because they don’t put in the effort necessary.

    Thank you for the kind words. I’m glad you’ve found some inspiration in what I’m doing here. I hope you stay in touch!

    Cheers.

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