Do It Yourself (DIY) projects are a good way to learn some new handy techniques, do some needed fixings, upgrade the aesthetics, and best of all save money that you would have paid someone else to do it. I’ve had my share of DIY projects like house painting, backsplash, hardwood flooring, and plumbing. And there will be DIY tasks that you learn and do on a regular basis like car oil changes, changing filters, patching drywall, and anything else that requires constant maintenance. One of the best feelings is the feeling of success. It just feels so good to complete a project or fix something especially if it was a tough job. On top of that, you did it yourself and saved money from it.

But not all projects or fixings go as planned and there are times where you will fail, and then you’ll need to hire someone to finish the job. It’s a downer feeling, a feeling of failure. With the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, I decided to buy a couple of bikes for me and my wife to go biking with the children. Biking through our neighborhood was fun in the beginning but got repetitive. Wanting to take our bikes to a bike path or a trail, my car didn’t have a hitch to hook up a bike rack. I researched for the best hitch to install and ordered it. I was ready to do a DIY install once it arrived.

Once the hitch came, I got my car ready, jacked it up, and was ready for the install.

Under my car, I had to remove a couple of rubber supports attached to the muffler to get the hitch installed. Not a problem until I saw this. The rubber piece had broke.

Not a problem. I called my local dealership and asked if they had the part and they said no. I called my local auto parts stores and they said no.

I wanted to get the hitch installed that day and with no one having this part, I was not comfortable going forward with the project. I ended up going to my mechanic and had them install it. I don’t consider this as throwing in the towel rather it’s a great learning experience and life lesson that not everything will go the way you wanted it to. But never stop trying and at the end, you’ll reach your goal.

The point is there will be times of unsuccess but don’t give up. DIY is like an investment, an investment of your time, effort, and potentially a return of savings. This concept can be applied to your financial investments. Throughout the journey to financial independence, you’ll come across investments that fail, investments that succeed, and investments that were just not worth the time and effort.

Apply this to your investments or financial strategy, and you can be on your way to financial independence. If you are interested in following my journey, email subscribe to get alerts of latest posts or follow me on Facebook.