“Dad. Will you play with me?” I must hear this question a dozen times a night and even more on the weekends. My 4-year old daughter always wants dad to play with her. Most of the time, we’re using some sort of figurine (Dora and Tip are the most popular lately) to pretend we’re doing some daily chore like going to the grocery store or to Target. We lead exciting lives, I know.

At the end of a long day, getting down on the floor is the last thing I want to do. But, I remind myself that soon, she won’t want anything to do with me. So, more often than not, I try to indulge her.

The lesson I’ve learned in trading is you have to put in the work. After I get done playing with her, and get ready for the next day, it’s usually around 8:00. It’s difficult sometimes to force myself to fire up the laptop to do my scans and watch video lessons. But, at the same time, I know I won’t reach my individual and financial goals without putting in the work.

And, it seems, at least for me, that taking one day off is like being gone for a week. A lot of plays carry over from day to day. If I take one day off, I miss more than just that day.

So, remember, if you want financial independence, you must commit, study, and work each day to improve.