My spouse was kind of understanding for the first two years, but it took me 7 to get it going. Starting in 06, in an area where client's didn't know the difference between an appraiser vs HI, not sucking up to the Realtor run area, all didn't help. My dad hung in there on my side. Had our house paid off. Everything paid off. $750 retirement. Obama care, eventually. That helped. Oh, and the first 4+ years I studied this stuff like crazy. It's been the toughest thing I've ever done and I started at the tender age of 53 after getting downsized by my wonderful employers.