“Screw the CFA.” I cursed at myself when I failed my CFA exam for the second time. That was 2015. Yep, today’s a rainy morning. And I want to share this part of my investing journey with you. The thing is, any finance professional will tell you the CFA Program is the hardest finance exam in the world:

• You need at least 1,000 hours to pass all three levels.
• Only ~45% of candidates have passed each year.
• Taking it means saying goodbye to movie nights and drinks at the bar with your buddies.

I struggled along the way. I’m never the smartest person in the room. And my exams are usually full of Cs and Ds. So, I had to work the hardest to climb one of the highest peaks of finance — to get into the industry. But I was taught one thing: attitude is EVERYTHING. I knew I wasn’t just interested in finance. I had to be obsessed over investing....