I hear you, about taking a long time to get what you want. A lot of hard work and sacrifices in the beginning.
Hey, all Texans own oil wells. Actually, my husband was president of a large mechanical contracting corporation and they sold out to an even bigger company. We had alot of stock and my husband was able to retire. He started from the ground up, working on air conditioners. You know, his ambition was one of the main things that attracted me to him but on this long climb to get where we are, it was a major annoyance. He worked 7 days a week, 16-17 hour days. He didn't even know our kids and I did all the work at home. It was all worth it, of course, but it was extremely difficult.