My Million Dollar Journey: The 3 Phases Of Leveling Up

I've been on the path of intentional wealth-building for 13 years now.

Basically that just means it's been 13 years since I stopped being a total moron who thought he could just make money and never set goals or track how its spent and I'd eventually get wealthy. Well, there's one specific lesson I've learned along the way I want everyone to know.

New Levels = New Devils

It took me five years to go from having a net worth of zero to reaching $100,000. Then, I was able to go from $100,000 to $1 million in just four years.

To use a gamer term, here’s how I had to "level up" during that time and some steps you can take if you're on the same path.

The Road from $0 to $100k Net Worth

When I started with zero, the game was all about learning and saving. I didn't know much, but I knew enough to take the right steps.

• Developing skills: If you don’t have the right tools in your toolbox, you're not going far. I made it a point to learn new skills and improve the ones I had. Whether it was getting better at my job or learning how money really works, every skill I built helped me grow.

• Growing my network: They say it's not what you know, but who you know—and that couldn’t be truer. Surrounding myself with people who were smarter, more experienced, or further along than me made a big difference. They opened doors and gave me insight into things I hadn't thought of.

• Saving most of my income: This sounds basic, but it’s huge. I had to be ruthless with saving. Instead of blowing money on things that wouldn’t matter in a year, I made sure to sock away every dollar I could. The more I saved, the more opportunities I could take advantage of later.

• Learning how money works: School doesn’t teach us about money. You’ve got to learn on your own. I studied up on investing, compound interest, and how taxes work. You can’t win a game if you don’t know the rules.

The Jump from $100k to $1m Net Worth

When I hit $100,000, it was like the sky parted and a new world opened up. I had a level of security I'd never experienced since leaving home and realizing that bills exist.

But I knew it was just the start. If I wanted to hit $1 million, I needed to play the game at a higher level. That’s when I found my first millionaire mentor and things started to get more interesting.

• Creating systems: Getting to $100k was all about sweat equity aka the hustle. To get to $1 million in a shorter time frame, I had to work smarter, not just harder. I started creating systems to manage my money, my time, and my decisions. These systems made it easier to handle more complicated investments and decisions.

• Utilizing my network: Remember those people I connected with earlier? This is when they became even more important. I leveraged my network to find new opportunities, learn about better investments, and even gain some business insights. When you're trying to level up, having people around you who have already been there can make all the difference.

• Investing most of my income: While I saved a lot to reach $100k, investing became the name of the game to reach $1 million. My money had to work for me, not just sit in a bank account. I looked for ways to grow it by 100% or more—whether that was through stocks, real estate, cryptocurrency or side hustles.

• Taking action when opportunities arose: The key difference between where I was and where I wanted to be was simply action. When an opportunity came up, I didn’t sit on it. I took risks, but they were calculated risks. I lost a lot of money doing this, but I made more than I lost by managing my risk. And those decisions moved me closer to my goals.

Chasing The $5 Million Mark

My next financial goal is having a $5 million net worth.

But I know from past experiences that what got me to $1 million isn’t going to get me to $5 million.

That’s why I’ve changed up my strategy and leaned on new mentors and coaches.

These people have already reached that $5 million mark, and they know the “devils” that lie ahead on this next stretch of the journey.

Here’s how I’m attacking this phase:

• Quitting my 9-5: To really grow, I had to go all-in on my own thing. Leaving the traditional job world behind allowed me to take full control of my time and energy, focusing on things that will have the biggest impact on my wealth.

• Selling to my network: Remember that network I built? Now I’m using it to sell. It’s not just about making connections but also turning those connections into clients, customers, or collaborators.

• Building a personal brand: Your reputation is everything. The more I’ve focused on building a personal brand, the more opportunities have opened up. People know me and trust me, which makes it easier to do business.

• Investing in assets + my business: I’m still investing, but now it's more than just stocks. I’m putting money into my business and other assets that will keep growing over time. This is how I plan to scale up to $5 million.

The Power of Lifestyle Design

What’s driving all of this? It’s not just about making more money for the sake of it.

It’s about lifestyle design—building a life that’s aligned with my WHY and objectives.

This approach gives me the clarity to know exactly what I need to do each day to hit my long-term goals.

Don’t wait any longer. Get crystal clear on what you want in the next three years. Start clawing your way toward it now.

You’ve only have one go on this space rock. Make it epic.