Happy weekend everyone! This week, I’m skipping my thoughts on – finance, fitness, food & fun, because I’ve got a great interview for you instead with Dave from, Run The Money.

Featuring – Dave Domzalski of Run The Money

I met Dave on Facebook and since we both blog about similar topics – health and personal finance – we thought it might be interesting to introduce each of our readers to the other.

Check out Dave’s answers to my questions below and then head over to Dave’s blog where I’m answering his questions of me. Be sure and check out all of his site for some great inspiration on your path to financial freedom and a healthy lifestyle.

Dave, please briefly tell readers who you are and what you do?

Hey, Everybody. I’m Dave Domzalski with RunTheMoney.com. I’m 32 and live in Gettysburg, PA with my wife, Anna, and son, David Joseph.

Tell us about your site, Run The Money. What do you write about and why?

With Run The Money, I discuss financial health and physical health. These areas are so key to a person’s overall view of themselves, and that’s why they’re my focus. If you have chaos in your financial life, you’re going to chaos throughout your life. You won’t be happy, and your relationships will suffer because of it.

Considering physical health, if you’re not happy with the person in the mirror, your confidence level plummets. You don’t feel like you’re worthy and you think of everyone else as your superior.

People have an incredible battle with these areas throughout their lives. I know I have and still do. So, anything I can do to help others and come alongside them in their journey – that’s why RTM exists.

In what way do you feel physical and financial health relate?

The relationship between physical and financial health comes down to one word: discipline. If you possess the discipline to tackle and succeed in both money and fitness, you have it made. Your life is better. Your view of yourself and your circumstances is better.

Why? Because the mental toughness and growth mindset that are required to maintain that money and fitness discipline become engrained in you. They are in your habits and are at the core of who you are.

And that gives people confidence and an attitude of achievement. “If I can do this, I can do anything” becomes the mantra and that’s where I think we all want to be.

When did you become a runner and what are some of your personal accomplishments with running?

I actually started running in high school, mainly cross-country. However, after I graduated high school in 2002, I didn’t run that often at all. I was pretty lazy physically after that.

It wasn’t until 2014 that I decided to set my sights on accomplishing something for myself. My wife suggested I run a half marathon and helped me get going.

I trained for it starting in July 2014 and ran it in November 2014. We even did a “practice” half together so I could prove to myself I could make the distance. We walked and ran it.

To date, I’ve run one marathon and 5 half marathons along with 10Ks and 5Ks mixed in there. It’s been remarkable.

It’s Not Just Money, Money, Money!

How did your interest in financial health come about?

I’ve always been interested in money. Not in a greedy way, but more in a “what does that person” do kind of way.

I find entrepreneurship fascinating and am always curious how a person comes up with an idea. Getting into the minds of business owners, inventors, marketers, and the like is inspiring to me.

However, to be successful in the business world, you need to understand finances. You need to be comfortable learning and teaching yourself the concepts of budgeting, saving, and planning for emergencies. Having been in student loan and credit card debt myself, I know what it’s like to have to climb your way out of a money pit.

Finally, I’m a huge proponent of finding ways to build multiple income streams and engineer an early retirement. I plan to use my blog as one of those vehicles to propel me to that goal.

What skills or characteristics are required to be successful at both?

Number one is knowing your big why. You must know WHY you’re doing something. Why am I getting up early to run 6 miles and train for this half marathon? Why am I taking time out of my night with my significant other to put our budget together in a spreadsheet? Is it for a better life? Is it for better health? Is it for early retirement? Know that about yourself.

Number two would be perseverance. You have to understand that failure isn’t optional, it’s inevitable. It just needs to be part of your mindset. Failure will happen. But, when it does, how do I respond? What’s Plan B, then Plan C, and so on?

Number three is related to number 2, and it’s the ability to grind. You have to be comfortable doing the boring stuff that makes you successful. Not every run is going to be excited. I can tell you that running 18 miles while training for a marathon sucks. It just does. But, I did it to prove to myself I could, and I wanted that accomplishment.

With RTM, I’m up early a lot of days off to get stuff done. I work late nights. During the week, I may only get 5 hours of sleep. I tell you this not to impress you, but because it’s the only time I really get to pursue this. It’s my time to grind.

Have you struggled with any of those in the past and if so, how did you overcome it?

I wasn’t always a grinder. In fact, it’s more of a recent thing that I credit to my faith in God and running.

We’ve been in debt, I’ve been lazy with my health, and I’ve been lost. To overcome it, I had to change within myself. Nobody did it for me.

Finding faith gave me the mindset and desire to better myself. Running strengthened that mindset in ways that can only be attained through experiencing it. Getting control of my finances helped provide more stability to my life.

Now, am I perfect in these areas? Absolutely not! I fail on a daily basis, but I keep trying to improve. Some days are better than others, but it goes back to living the grind day in and day out.

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share with everyone today?

Stop complaining. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”

How does that relate to you? If you think you can’t lose weight or you think you’re not a runner, you’re absolutely right. If you think your financial situation will never turn around, right again.

On the other hand, if you’re up for the challenge to get fit and become a runner, you’re a runner. Lace up the shoes and pound the pavement or hit the trail.

If you want to get control of your money, set up that budget, pay down debt, and save. You’re a financial manager for yourself and family members.

I get tired of hearing people complain. Yes, I’m just as guilty of it as the next person. But, it doesn’t do anything to improve your financial or physical health.

Instead of complaining, move your feet and engage your mind.

How can readers get in touch with you?

You can check out the blog at RunTheMoney.com. Also, please email me at RunTheMoneyBlog@gmail.com with any questions or comments. Finally, I’m on Twitter @RunTheMoney, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Thanks, Dave! I appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions and share with my readers.

All right everyone, are you complaining or moving your feet and engaging your feet? Let us know in the comments!

Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend, thanks for reading!

Be well,

Amy

Note: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is provided to educate you about nutrition, exercise, and personal finance, and as a self-help tool for your own use. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. For my full Disclaimer, please view here.